reading english classics -...

КАЗАНСКИЙ ФЕДЕРАЛЬНЫЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ

ИНСТИТУТ ЯЗЫКА

Кафедра английского языка

А. А. ГИЛЬМАНОВА

С. Е. НИКИТИНА

Н. О. ПЕРШИНА

READING ENGLISH CLASSICS

(J. K. JEROME “THREE MEN IN A BOAT”)

Учебное пособие по домашнему чтению

Казань – 2015

УДК 821.111.09

ББК Ш3(4)

Принято на заседании кафедры английского языка

Протокол № 4 от 29 апреля 2015 года

Рецензенты:

кандидат филологических наук,

доцент кафедры английского языка КФУ Н. В. Аржанцева;

кандидат педагогических наук,

доцент кафедры английского языка КФУ Г. Ф. Гали

Reading English Classics (J. K. Jerome “Three men in a boat”): учеб.

пособие по домашнему чтению / А.А. Гильманова, С. Е. Никитина, Н.

О. Першина. – Казань: Казан. ун-т, 2015. – 192 c.

Учебное пособие предназначено для занятий по домашнему чтению

для студентов гуманитарных специальностей и содержит задания и

упражнения к тексту романа Дж. К. Джерома «Трое в лодке». Пособие

предназначено как для аудиторной, так и внеаудиторной работы и

адресовано всем, кто стремится улучшить свой уровень владения

английским языком при помощи чтения английской литературы.

© Гильманова А. А., Никитина С. Е., Першина Н. О., 2015

© Казанский университет, 2015

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От авторов

Роман «Трое в лодке не считая собаки» английского писателя

Джерома К. Джерома (1859-1927) является, пожалуй, самым известным

произведением писателя и представляет собой замечательный образец

юмора, литературного стиля и нетривиального сюжета. По сути, роман

является путеводителем по викторианской Англии XIX века, собрав в себе

галерею портретов, ситуаций и бытописания того времени. Именно с

данным произведением авторы учебного пособия предлагают ознакомиться

учащимся.

Учебное пособие “Reading English Classics” предназначено для

студентов гуманитарных специальностей и рассчитано на обучение работе с

неадаптированным текстом художественного произведения. Поскольку

неадаптированный текст вызывает массу затруднений, данное пособие

призвано помочь в работе над ним. Учебное пособие “Reading English

Classics” ставит целью развить навыки изучающего и коммуникативного

чтения, расширить словарный запас учащихся, привить основы

художественного анализа текста и понимания авторского замысла, научить

работать со словарем. Пособие рассчитано на уровень учащихся А2-В1.

Учебное пособие состоит из 19 глав, каждая из которых содержит

материалы и упражнения для работы над соответствующей главой

оригинального текста романа Дж. К. Джерома. Каждая глава состоит из

четырех разделов – Pre-Reading, Reading and Comprehension, Vocabulary

Work, Speaking an Analysis.

Раздел Pre-Reading готовит студентов к ситуациям, описанным в главе

романа, знакомит с трудной лексикой, развивает навык языковой догадки,

содержит небольшой словарик, необходимый для дальнейшей работы над

главой. Раздел Reading and Comprehension проверяет правильность и

точность понимания эпизодов главы. Раздел Vocabulary Work

фокусируется на наиболее употребительных языковых единицах и

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тренирует навык их использования на примере письменных упражнений.

Раздел Speaking and Analysis акцентирует внимание на отдельных

стилистических особенностях главы, а также предлагает ряд заданий на

подготовленное (с использованием речевых образцов) и свободное

говорение.

В пособии также содержится список ссылок для работы над текстом и

небольшой глоссарий литературных терминов.

5

CONTENTS

page

Before reading the novel 6

Chapter 1 7

Chapter 2 13

Chapter 3 20

Chapter 4 26

Chapter 5 34

Chapter 6 43

Chapter 7 50

Chapter 8 59

Chapter 9 68

Chapter 10 77

Chapter 11 86

Chapter 12 97

Chapter 13 107

Chapter 14 119

Chapter 15 130

Chapter 16 142

Chapter 17 155

Chapter 18 165

Chapter 19 177

Glossary of literary terms 189

Sources 191

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BEFORE READING THE NOVEL:

1. Look at the title of the story and read the preface. Who are the main

characters? What do they do? What are their names?

2. The novel was written in 1889. What epoch was it? What were the

main characteristic features of that historical period? What other writers of that

epoch do you know?

3. Look at the contents of the novel. Can you predict what the novel is

about?

Study the main literary terms to help you analyse and understand the

novel:

Plot - the main events of a novel (play, movie, or similar work), devised

and presented by the writer as an interrelated sequence.

Setting – when and where the story takes place.

Character - a person in a novel, play, or movie.

Main character – the most important person in a story. The plot is

concentrated on him/her.

Minor character – less significant character in a story/novel/play/movie.

Narrator – a person who tells the story, a character who recounts the

events of a story, a novel or a poem

Stylistic means/devices – literary methods used by the author to achieve

certain effect and impress the reader.

Message – the main idea of the story/novel etc.

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CCCHHHAAAPPPTTTEEERRR 111

PRE-READING

Ex. 1. Answer the questions:

1. What do you usually do when you fall ill?

Do you:

- visit a doctor?

- ask a friend for advice?

- read medical reference books?

2. Do you keep a special diet when you are ill? What do you usually eat?

Ex. 2. Guess the meaning of these words from Chapter 1

illness

symptom

diagnosis [ˌdaɪəɡˈnəʊsɪs]

cholera

diphtheria

pharmacology

Ex. 3. Study the following words and expressions from Chapter 1:

virulent, adj ['vɪrul(ə)nt] – опасный, смертельный

ailment, n ['eɪlmənt] – недомогание, нездоровье

distemper, n [dɪ'stempə] – расстройство, заболевание

malady, n ['mælədɪ] – болезнь, заболевание,расстройство

complication, n [ˌkɔmplɪ'keɪʃ(ə)n] - осложнение

efficacious, adj [ˌefɪ'keɪʃəs] – действенный, эффективный

remedy, n ['remədɪ] – средство от болезни, лекарство

to swallow, v ['swɔləu] - глотать

to plunge, v [plʌnʤ] – нырять, погружаться

listlessness, n [´listlesnes] – апатия, равнодушие, безразличие

fortnight, n ['fɔːtnaɪt] – две недели

to suffer, v ['sʌfə] - страдать

invidious, adj [ɪn'vɪdɪəs] – вызывающий враждебное чувство,

несправедливый, пристрастный

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to plod through, v [plɔd θruː] – кропотливо и усердно заниматься к-

делом

commonplace, adj ['kɔmənpleɪs] – банальный, неоригинальный

to hamper, v ['hæmpə] – препятствовать, мешать

disinclination, n [ˌdɪsˌɪnklɪ'neɪʃ(ə)n] – несклонность,

нерасположение, нежелание

martyr, n ['mɑːtə] – мученик, страдалец

drowsy, adj ['drauzɪ] – сонный, навевающий сон

quaint, adj [kweɪnt] - странный, чудной, необычный, своеобразный

queer, adj [kwɪə] - странный, необычный, чудной

premonitory symptoms – предвестник болезни, ранний симптом

to feel seedy – неважно себя чувствовать

to get nervous about something – нервничать из-за чего-л.

to be out of order – неисправный, испорченный

to feel one’s pulse– ощупывать пульс

to look at one’s tongue – осмотреть язык

to shut one’s eyes – закрыть глаза

to keep smth in check – держать под контролем

you can’t beat smth – ничто не может быть лучше, чем

READING AND COMPREHENSION

Ex. 1.Read Chapter 1 and put these events from Chapter 1 in the

correct order:

a) George and Harris also seem to be ill.

b) At the Chemist’s.

c) George suggests a river-trip.

d) All possible diseases of J.

e) George advises change and rest.

f) Sea trip is a bad idea.

g) Montmorency didn’t like the idea of a river-trip.

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Ex. .2. Read Chapter 1and find out the answers to the following

questions. Use a dictionary if necessary.

1. Why does the narrator call himself and his friends “invalids”?

2. Why did the narrator go to the British Museum?

3. What did the doctor prescribe him?

4. What decision did the narrator make with George and Harris?

5. How long did it take the three friends to agree?

6. Why did the narrator object the sea-trip? What story does he tell his

friends to support his point of view?

7. What was Montmorency’s reaction to the idea of a boat-trip?

VOCABULARY WORK

Ex.1. Give Russian equivalents to these diseases mentioned in

Chapter 1:

giddiness

hay fever

typhoid fever

cholera

housemaid’s knee

zymosis

scarlet fever

sea-sickness

ague

Ex. 2. Find synonyms to the following words from Chapter 1:

feel ill - ….. - ……

illness - … - ….. - …… - …. - ……

treatment - …. - ….

Ex. 3. What is the difference (if any) between:

symptoms/ complications

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prescription / treatment

quaint/queer

Ex. 4. Fill in the gaps with the correct forms of these expressions.

Mind the correct tense.

out of order

feel seedy

feel the pulse

look at one’s tongue

get nervous

1. The man _______ __________ and decided to call a doctor.

2. After running the sportsman ______ _____ _______.

3. You shouldn’t _______ _________ about the exam, it’s not worth it.

4. The doctor asked the boy to open his mouth and ______ ____ ____

______.

5. We’ll have to go up the stairs because the elevator is _____ ____

______.

Ex. 5. Translate from Russian into English paying attention to the

underlined words and expressions:

Доктор изучил симптомы и поставил диагноз: у Джона была

опасная форма гриппа. Плохое самочувствие и приступы

головокружения были всего лишь предварительными симптомами

болезни. Лечение, которое назначил врач, оказалось эффективным.

Ex.6. Work with a dictionary or a reference book and find out the

meaning of the following abbreviations and measurements:

1lb

1 pt

A ten-mile walk

at 11 sharp

11

SPEAKING AND ANALYSIS

Ex. 1. Read the passage from Chapter 1. Pay attention to the

underlined words. What impression does one get after reading the

passage? What words make you feel so?

«I sat for awhile, frozen with horror; and then, in the listlessness of

despair, I again turned over the pages. I came to typhoid fever—read the

symptoms—discovered that I had typhoid fever, must have had it for months

without knowing it—wondered what else I had got; turned up St. Vitus’s

Dance—found, as I expected, that I had that too,—began to get interested in

my case, and determined to sift it to the bottom, and so started

alphabetically—read up ague, and learnt that I was sickening for it, and

that the acute stage would commence in about another fortnight. Bright’s

disease, I was relieved to find, I had only in a modified form, and, so far as

that was concerned, I might live for years. Cholera I had, with severe

complications; and diphtheria I seemed to have been born with. I plodded

conscientiously through the twenty-six letters, and the only malady I could

conclude I had not got was housemaid’s knee.»

How many diseases are mentioned in the passage? Why? What effect

is achieved by the author?

What is the general tone of the passage (tragical, lyrical, comical,

ironic)?

Ex. 2. Guess the meaning of the underlined words from the context:

1. They didn’t give me pills, they gave me clumps on the side of the

head instead.

2. Life is brief and you might pass away before I had finished.

3. But, towards Saturday, he got uppish, and went on for weak tea and

dry toast.

4. For myself, I have discovered and excellent preventive against

seasickness, in balancing myself.

5. There’s nothing for me to do. Scenery is not my line.

12

Ex. 3. Read the passage about the sea-trip:

«You start on Monday with the idea implanted in your bosom that you

are going to enjoy yourself. You wave an airy adieu to the boys on shore,

light your biggest pipe, and swagger about the deck as if you were Captain

Cook, Sir Francis Drake, and Christopher Columbus all rolled into one. On

Tuesday, you wish you hadn’t come. On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday,

you wish you were dead. On Saturday, you are able to swallow a little beef

tea, and to sit up on deck, and answer with a wan, sweet smile when kind-

hearted people ask you how you feel now. On Sunday, you begin to walk

about again, and take solid food. And on Monday morning, as, with your

bag and umbrella in your hand, you stand by the gunwale, waiting to step

ashore, you begin to thoroughly like it.»

The author begins with the highest point of emotional state which

goes lower and lower, and then goes up again. The devices are called

gradation (going through a series of stages) and exaggeration or

hyperbolae (enlarging to an abnormal degree to emphasize and produce

amusing effect) as the main stylistic devices.

Find more examples of gradation and exaggeration (hyperbolae) in

Chapter 1.

Ex. 4. What is your general impression of the three men? How would

you characterize:

- the narrator,

- Harris,

- George,

- Montmorency?

Retell the main events of Chapter 1 from the point of view of one of

the three men/ Montmorency. Make sure to include:

- names of diseases and their symptoms

- the description of the narrator’s visit to the chemist’s

- the narrator’s objections against a sea-trip

- the example story of the narrator’s brother-in-law

- Montmorency’s feeling

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PRE-READING

Ex. 1. Answer the questions:

1. Do you like camping? Do you prefer to go camping or stay in a hotel?

2. What is the best place for you to be when you go outdoors – a forest, a

river, mountains?

Ex. 2. Who or what can produce the sounds noted by these verbs from

Chapter 2? First guess and then check your ideas with a dictionary:

to croak

to prattle

to lap

to rustle

to lull

to flop

to yell

to swear

to knock

to whisper

Study the following words and their pronunciation. Then place them into 3

groups – nouns, adjectives, verbs. Which words will go to two groups? Which will

not go to any?

inn [ɪn] - гостиница; постоялый двор

cease [siːs] - переставать (делать что-л.), прекращать

dim [dɪm] - тусклый, неяркий, смутный

frugal ['fruːg(ə)l] - бережливый, экономный

ere [ɛə] – (поэт.) до, перед; прежде чем

commonplace ['kɔmənpleɪs] – банальный, неоригинальный

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sheer [ʃɪə] - абсолютный, полнейший, чистый.

yearning ['jɜːnɪŋ] - сильное желание

unattainable [ˌʌnə'teɪnəbl] - недостижимый, недоступный

fix [fɪks] – устанавливать, укреплять, закреплять, налаживать, чинить

hint [hɪnt] - намёк

tumble ['tʌmbl] = tumble down / off - падать; спотыкаться

cling [klɪŋ] , clung - цепляться; прилипать; крепко держаться

pour [pɔː] - литься (о воде, свете), лить.

retort [rɪ'tɔːt] - возражение; резкий ответ

pull [pul] - тянуть, тащить

peg [peg] - колышек

heap [hiːp] - груда, куча, масса

blaze [bleɪz] - 1) яркий огонь, пламя 2) гореть ярким пламенем

exceedingly [ɪk'siːdɪŋlɪ ], [ek-] весьма, очень, сильно, чрезвычайно

induce [ɪn'djuːs] - побуждать, склонять, убеждать

thief [θiːf] (pl. – thieves) - вор, похититель

quarrelsome ['kwɔr(ə)lsəm] - вздорный, сварливый; придирчивый

hail [heɪl] - 1) град 2) звать, окликать

pious ['paɪəs] - набожный, благочестивый; праведный, религиозный

snatch up [snæʧ ʌp] – хватать

irate [aɪ'reɪt] - гневный, разгневанный, взбешённый

ferocious [fə'rəuʃəs] 1) а) дикий; жестокий, беспощадный, свирепый;

безжалостный (о человеке и животном; характере и действиях)

disreputable [dɪs'repjutəbl] - недостойный уважения; дискредитирующий,

компрометирующий, бесчестящий; позорный,

presentiment [prɪ'zentɪmənt] - предчувствие (особенно дурное)

15


Ex. 1. Read Chapter 2 and say if these statements are true or false (T/F):

1. The narrator described Nature as an inanimate thing.

2. Harris is very romantic by nature.

3. Water is a necessary ingredient in every dish during the boat trip under the

rain.

4. Some accidents can happen during a boat trip.

5. Montmorency has always been a well-behaved dog.

Ex 2. Read Chapter 2 again and find out:

1. Why George and the narrator wanted to camp out.

2. Why Harris didn’t want to camp out.

3. Why going by boat in a rainy weather is not pleasant.

4. What Montmorency’s behaviour was like.

5. What final decision was made about the boat trip

VOCABULARY WORK

Ex. 1. Give English equivalents to the verbs, which imitate the sounds

(onomatopoeia):

лепетать, журчать

шуршать

баюкать

шептать

плюхаться

каркать, квакать

стучать (в дверь)

16

Ex.2. Match the adjectives and nouns (sometimes more than 1 variant is

possible):

quarrelsome

irate

pious

ferocious

dim

harsh

sheer

unattainable

luck

woman

light

letter

dog

manners

goal

citizen

Ex. 3. Translate from Russian into English. Use the adjectives from the

exercise above:

злобный пес

веселая вечеринка

сварливая жена

разъяренный покупатель

чистый мёд

набожный старик

тусклый свет

резкий тон

недостижимая высота

Ex. 4. Translate from English. Pay attention to the underlined words:

1. In the dim light of the sunset you could hear the frogs croaking. The sound

ceased for a moment, but then started again.

2. The spring prattled its song which chased away all his sleep. It brought him

into a jolly mood and filled his heart with sheer happiness.

17

3. We heard that somebody was knocking at our door. The harsh voice of our

neighbor made us understand that he was quite a quarrelsome person.

4. He was rustling through the pages of the book, trying to whisper some words

he knew, but reading the whole book was an unattainable goal.


Ex. 1. Read the following paragraph from Chapter 2:

And we sit there, by its margin, while the moon, who loves it too, stoops down

to kiss it with a sister’s kiss, and throws her silver arms around it clingingly; and

we watch it as it flows, ever singing, ever whispering, out to meet its king, the sea—

till our voices die away in silence, and the pipes go out—till we, common-place,

everyday young men enough, feel strangely full of thoughts, half sad, half sweet, and

do not care or want to speak—till we laugh, and, rising, knock the ashes from our

burnt-out pipes, and say “Good-night,” and, lulled by the lapping water and the

rustling trees, we fall asleep beneath the great, still stars, and dream that the world is

young again—young and sweet as she used to be ere the centuries of fret and care

had furrowed her fair face, ere her children’s sins and follies had made old her

loving heart—sweet as she was in those bygone days when, a new-made mother, she

nursed us, her children, upon her own deep breast—ere the wiles of painted

civilization had lured us away from her fond arms, and the poisoned sneers of

artificiality had made us ashamed of the simple life we led with her, and the simple,

stately home where mankind was born so many thousands years ago.

Comment on the punctuation of the paragraph. Why doesn’t the author use

full stops? What effect does it produce? What mood does the whole paragraph

have?

18

Who/what is the subject of the sentence? What action does this subject

perform?

Pay attention to the part of the sentence in bold. What characteristics does

the moon have, according to the author? This literary device is called a metaphor

(the qualities or identity of one subject are ascribed to another). Find other

examples of a metaphor in this chapter.

Ex. 2. Read the following sentence from Chapter 2:

It is soaked and heavy, and it flops about, and tumbles down on you, and

clings round your head and makes you mad.

How many conjunctions were used in the sentence? What effect does it

produce on the reader?

The literary device used here by the author is called “polysyndeton” (using

conjunctions or connecting words frequently in a sentence, placed very close to one

another to produce strong dramatic effect). Does the author like using

polysyndeton in his novel?

Ex. 3. Why does the author uses the narrator’s remark in brackets in the

following sentence?

I believe that if you met Harris up in Paradise (supposing such a thing likely),

he would immediately greet you with…

How does the tone of the sentence correspond with the information in

brackets?

19

The device is called parenthesis (using some additional information in

brackets to produce certain effect). Find other examples of parenthesis in Chapter

2. What effect is produced by using parenthesis?

Ex. 4 Read the passage about Montmorency, which starts with the words

“Montmorency hailed this compromise with much approval” and ends with “his

most emphatic approbation”.

Pay attention to the length of the sentence: why would the author use one

long sentence instead of several shorter ones? What effect does it produce? What

emotionally coloured words did the author use?

How would you characterize Montmorency after reading this chapter?

Ex. 5. Narrate the part about the three men’s preparation for the trip from

the point of view of one of them. Use these words and expressions:

To begin with…

First(ly),…

Second(ly),…

Finally,…

It is clear that…

It’s undeniable that..

What is more…

Thus…

Although

Besides…

In conclusion…

20


PRE-READING

Ex. 1. Answer these questions:

1. What tools do you have at home? Do you know their names in English? What

do you use them for?

2. Do you usually ask for somebody’s help when you need it or do you try to

manage it yourself?

3. What luggage do you usually take with you when you plan to travel?

Ex.2. Guess the meaning of these words and expressions. Then check your

answers with a dictionary:

- to arrange one’s plans

- to undertake

- to spring round

- to tie up one’s finger

- to re-measure

- to bathe

- to have a dip

Ex .3. What plants is/are these? Check with the dictionary and give their

Russian equivalents:

- lilies

- rushes

- sedge

21

- orchis

- forget-me-not

Ex. 4. Give Russian equivalents to the tools and household goods mentioned

in Chapter 3. Use a dictionary if necessary.

a hammer

a rule (ruler)

a step-ladder

a kitchen chair

a spirit level

a cord

handkerchief

a candle

a string

a rake

an oar

a brush

a comb

a basin

a shaving tackle

a towel

Ex. 5. Study the following words and expressions:

grocery ['grəus(ə)rɪ] - бакалейная лавка,

burden ['bɜːdn] - ноша, груз

commotion [kə'məuʃ(ə)n] - беспорядки

to spring [sprɪŋ] – прыгать, скакать, выпрыгивать

to tie up one’s finger [taɪ ʌp] – перевязать палец

charwoman ['ʧɑːˌwumən] - подёнщица для домашней работы

to grovel ['grɔv(ə)l] – ползать, унижаться

to grunt [grʌnt] – ворчать, бормотать

to sneer at [snɪə] – насмехаться над к-л.

crooked ['krukɪd] – изогнутый, кривой

indispensable [ˌɪndɪ'spen(t)səbl] – обязательный, важный

downright ['daunraɪt] – совершенный, абсолютный

swamp with [swɔmp] – заливать, затапливать

22

lumber ['lʌmbə] – хлам, нечто ненужное

pile [paɪl] – куча, груда

pretence [prɪ'ten(t)s] – притворство, обман, отговорка

ostentation [ˌɔsten'teɪʃ(ə)n] – хвастовство, выставление напоказ

to cloy [klɔɪ] - пресыщать

yore [jɔː] - былое

swoon [swuːn] – обморок / падать в обморок

margin ['mɑːʤɪn] - граница

merchandise ['mɜːʧ(ə)ndaɪz] - товары

from stem to stern – от начала до конца

drawers [drɔːz] - панталоны

dismally ['dɪzməlɪ] – зловеще, уныло

to plunge into [plʌnʤ] – нырять, окунаться, погружаться

limpid ['lɪmpɪd] – прозрачный, простой, ясный

to tow (a boat) [təu] – тянуть на буксире

shilling shocker – дешевый бульварный роман

to anticipate [æn'tɪsɪpeɪt] – предвидеть, предвкушать


Ex. 1. Say if these sentences are True or False (T/F) according to the text:

1. Harris likes telling people what to do.

2. Uncle Poger found all the tools himself.

3. The picture was finally hung.

4. George didn’t have any sound ideas about the luggage to take.

5. The 3 men agreed to have a swim every morning.

23

Ex. 2. Read Chapter 3 again and answer the questions:

1. Why did Harris remind J. of Uncle Poger?

2. Why did it take Uncle Poger so long to hang a picture on the wall?

3. What did George advise to take with them to the trip?

4. What does the narrator think about bathing in the morning?

5. How many pieces of clothes did George recommend to take?

VOCABULARY WORK

Ex. 1. Give English equivalents to the following words:

расческа

стремянка

свеча

линейка

шнур

веревка

носовой платок

щетка

полотенце

бритвенные принадлежности

таз

уровень

грабли

молоток

Ex. 2.Match a tool and its function:

a hammer to fill with water

a candle to measure the length

a string to comb hair

a basin to wipe a nose

a rule

(ruler)

to lit the dark

24

a

handkerchief

to drive a nail

a comb to tie smth up

Ex. 3. Fill in the gaps in the sentences with appropriate words/ combinations

in the correct form:

step-ladder

to measure

hammer

burden

candles

shaving tackle

1. John _____________ the distance to the house – it was more than three

kilometers.

2. - Use a ______________ to get to the upper branches of the tree.

No, thanks. It’s an unnecessary __________.

3. The Father was looking for his ______________ everywhere, but it seemed to

have lost.

4. When the light was shut off we had to use ___________ to lit our house.

5. Could you pass me the __________, please? I need to drive this nail.


Ex. 1. Pay attention to the use of conjunctions in the following passage:

25

And then he would lift up the picture, and drop it, and it would come out of the

frame, and he would try to save the glass, and cut himself; and then he would spring

round the room, looking for his handkerchief. He could not find his handkerchief,

because it was in the pocket of the coat he had taken off, and he did not know where

he had put the coat, and all the house had to leave off looking for his tools, and start

looking for his coat; while he would dance round and hinder them.

What stylistic device is this? What effect is produced with the help of it? Does

the author often use it?

Ex. 2. Read the extract from Chapter 3 which begins with the words “George

comes out really quite sensible at times” to “…I beg your pardon, really. I quite

forgot”. The author digresses from the main line of narration and starts talking

about something different. This device is called “lyrical digression”. Can you think

of more examples of lyrical digression? Is it typical of the author’s style?

Ex.3. What new information have you learned about the main characters –

George, Harris, J.? Express your opinion with the help of these phrases:

In my opinion, ...

In my eyes, ...

To my mind, ...

As far as I am concerned,

Speaking personally, ...

From my point of view, ...

As for me / As to me, ...

My view / opinion / belief / impression

/ conviction is that ...

I hold the view that ...

I would say that ...

It seems to me that ...

I am of the opinion that ...

My impression is that ...

26


PRE-READING

Ex. 1. Answer the following questions:

1. What food do you usually take with you when you go camping? Do you

usually cook at the campsite?

2. What is the most appropriate food to take with you when you go camping

outdoors? What is the least appropriate? Why?

Ex. 2. Study the pronunciation of the geographical locations from Chapter 4:

Marlow [mɑ:ləυ]

Liverpool ['lɪvəpuːl]

Crewe [kruː]

Euston ['juːstən]

What parts of England are these places located in? Use reference books to

help you.

Ex. 3. Guess the meaning of these words from Chapter 4. Pay attention to

different prefixes and suffixes. Then check with the dictionary:

to pack – to unpack – to repack

to open – to re-open

to superintend

27

somnambulist

disgraceful

original


to ooze [uːz] – вытекать, протекать

paraffine oil ['pærəfɪn ɔɪl] - керосин

rudder ['rʌdə] - руль

to saturate (with) ['sæʧ(ə)reɪt] - пропитывать

to be laden with (книжн.) ['leɪd(ə)n] - наполненный

fragrance ['freɪgrən(t)s] аромат, благоухание

to reek [riːk] - источать сильный неприятный запах, вонь

methylated spirit [ˏmeθə´leɪtɪd 'spɪrɪt] – этиловый спирт

smell (to smell) [smel] – 1. запах 2. пахнуть

ramshackle ['ræmˌʃækl] - ветхий, дряхлы/й

cripple ['krɪpl] - калека

to shamble ['ʃæmbl] – волочить ноги, шаркать

swift [swɪft] – быстрый, скорый, стремительный

steam roller ['stiːm 'rəulə] – паровой каток

to dash off [dæʃ ɔf] – зд. - броситься

to fidget ['fɪʤɪt] – беспокоиться, нервничать

disgraceful [dɪs'greɪsf(ə)l] – позорный, бесчестный

compartment [kəm'pɑːtmənt] - купе

parish ['pærɪʃ] - (церковный) приход

corpse [kɔːps] - труп

consumptive [kən'sʌm(p)tɪv] – болезненный, чахоточный

to haunt [hɔːnt] – мучить, преследовать

to rummage ['rʌmɪʤ] – тщательно обыскивать

28

hamper ['hæmpə] – корзина с крышкой

to squash [skwɔʃ] – раздавливать, расплющивать

to squirm [skwɜːm] – извиваться, уворачиваться

nuisance ['njuːs(ə)n(t)s] – досада, неприятность

original sin – первородный грех

to toss [tɔs] – бросать жребий, монету

to have a row [rəu] – ссориться, скандалить


Ex. 1. Read the chapter and answer the questions:

1. Why wouldn’t the three gentlemen take a paraffin oil stove with them?

2. How did the people around react to a man carrying cheeses with him?

3. What food did the three men finally decide to take with them?

4. What problems did the narrator have while packing?

5. What time did they agree to wake up and set off?

Ex. 2. Say is the following statements are True or False (T/F), according to

the text:

1. A methylated spirit stove doesn’t bring as much trouble during travelling as a

paraffine oil one.

2. In the story about cheeses, J.’s friend tried to get rid of the cheeses many times

but was unsuccessful.

3. The list of things to take, which the three men made, was quite short.

4. Montmorency never comes to a place if he isn’t wanted there.

5. The three men finished packing.

29

VOCABULARY WORK

Ex. 1. Place these words from Chapter 4 into two groups – cooking utensils/

food:

Bacon, frying pan, kettle, biscuits, cheese, jar, tea-pot, pie, jam, meat,

teaspoon, stove.

Ex. 2. Explain the difference between the following:

methylated spirit stove / paraffin oil stove

tea-pot / teaspoon

meat / bacon

pie / cake

Ex. 3. Find 4 different synonyms to the word “smell” in the passage about

cheeses. The number of letters is given in brackets.

f_____________(9)

o_________(5)

s_________ (5)

w________ (5)

Ex. 4. a) Match the words with their translation and synonyms:

to dash off преследовать annoyance

disgraceful броситься, рвануть to quarrel

to haunt поругаться,

поссориться

shameful

30

nuisance быстрый,

стремительный

quick

to have a row глупость,

неприятность

to rush

swift позорный,

постыдный

to follow

b) Insert the words into the sentences in their correct form:

1. The telephone rang and he ____________ to pick it up.

2. We’d better take __________ actions if we want to avoid this

______________ situation.

3. “What a ____________!” exclaimed Mary, closing the morning newspaper.

4. Every time he returned to his village the memories of his childhood _________

him.

5. Two friends ________________ and haven’t talked since then.


Ex. 1. Guess the meaning of the underlined words and expressions, choose

from the variants given, then check with the dictionary.

1. The wind carried a whiff from cheeses.

a) a faint smell

b) a strong smell

c) an unpleasant smell

31

2. We’ll have a good, round square, slap-up meal at seven – dinner, tea, and

supper combined.

a) a quick and simple meal

b) a good first-class meal

c) a tasteless meal

3. I want to get up and superintend and walk round with my hands in my pockets.

a) to walk round and being busy

b) to walk round and doing nothing

c) to walk round and behaving badly

4. They began in a light-hearted spirit, evidently intending to show me how to do

it.

a) cheerful and happy mood

b) bad mood

c) they had a good character

Ex. 2. Look at the sentence from Chapter 4:

And George laughed – one of those irritating, senseless, chuckle-headed,

crack-jawed laughs of his.

The emotional descriptive adjectives are called “epithets”. How do epithets

help the reader feel about the thing described? Are epithets typical of Jerome’s

style? Find 2 more examples of epithets in Chapter 4.

32

Ex. 3. Read and translate with a dictionary the following extract about

cheeses from Chapter 4. Mark all the epithets, emotionally-coloured words, idioms

etc.

How do they help the author achieve ironic effect?

I called for the cheeses, and took them away in a cab. It was a ramshackle

affair, dragged along by a knock-kneed, broken-winded somnambulist, which his

owner, in a moment of enthusiasm, during conversation, referred to as a horse. I put

the cheeses on the top, and we started off at a shamble that would have done credit to

the swiftest steam-roller ever built, and all went merry as a funeral bell, until we

turned the corner. There, the wind carried a whiff from the cheeses full on to our

steed. It woke him up, and, with a snort of terror, he dashed off at three miles an

hour. The wind still blew in his direction, and before we reached the end of the street

he was laying himself out at the rate of nearly four miles an hour, leaving the cripples

and stout old ladies simply nowhere.

Ex. 4. Read the following extract from Chapter 4 about packing. How does it

characterize the narrator? How did George and Harris react to J.’s behaviour?

Was it what he expected?

I rather pride myself on my packing. Packing is one of those many things that I

feel I know more about than any other person living. (It surprises me myself,

sometimes, how many of these subjects there are.) I impressed the fact upon George

and Harris, and told them that they had better leave the whole matter entirely to me.

They fell into the suggestion with a readiness that had something uncanny about it.

George put on a pipe and spread himself over the easy-chair, and Harris cocked his

legs on the table and lit a cigar.

This was hardly what I intended. What I had meant, of course, was, that

I should boss the job, and that Harris and George should potter about under my

directions, I pushing them aside every now and then with, “Oh, you—!” “Here, let

33

me do it.” “There you are, simple enough!”—really teaching them, as you might say.

Their taking it in the way they did irritated me. There is nothing does irritate me

more than seeing other people sitting about doing nothing when I’m working.

Mark all the emotionally – coloured adjectives and verbs, which help you

characterize the narrator.

Ex. 5. Describe the episode of George and Harris packing from George’s

point of view. Think of the words he might have said, use the words and phrases

given below.

- the worst packer in the world

- broke a cup

- strawberry jam on top of tomato

- squashed

- pick out the tomato with a teaspoon

- didn’t say anything / sat down / watched

- irritated

- stepped on things

- couldn’t find things

34


PRE-READING


1. Do you usually listen to a weather forecast before going out? Do you believe

the information they give there?

2. What’s your favourite weather? Do you like when it rains / it’s windy / it’s

wet/ it’s cold / it’s sunny?

Ex. 2. Study the pronunciation of these words from Chapter 5. Do you know

where these places are located? What are they famous for?

Waterloo [ˌwɔtə'luː]

Southampton [sau'θæmptən]

Kingston ['kingstən]

Virginia Water [və'ʤɪnɪə]

Isle of Wight [aɪləv'waɪt]

Exeter ['eksɪtə]

Ex .3. Guess the meaning of the following words and expressions:

to madden

shocking

hereafter

dispute

downstairs

35

absurd

humanism

landlady

simoom

Ex. 4. Study the following words and their pronunciation:

sluggard ['slʌgəd] - бездельник, лентяй, лодырь

swindle ['swɪndl] - мошенничество, надувательство, обман

depravity [dɪ'prævətɪ] - порочность; безнравственность

worldly ['wɜːldlɪ] - мирской; земной, суетный

afloat [ə'fləut] - плавающий на поверхности воды

snarl [snɑːl] - рычать; огрызаться (о животном), сердито ворчать.

strain [streɪn] - натяжение; растяжение

defiant [dɪ'faɪənt] – вызывающий; неповинующийся, дерзкий, непокорный

hideous['hɪdɪəs] – отвратительный, омерзительный; страшный, ужасный

sprawl [sprɔːl] – вытянуться, растянуться, упасть

oblivion [ə'blɪvɪən] – забвение, забытье

resolve, n [rɪ'zɔlv] – решительность, смелость

chunk [ʧʌŋk] – ломоть, глыба

lump, v [lʌmp] – валить, смешать в одну кучу

ghastly ['gɑːstlɪ] – наводящий ужас, страшный, неприятный

fraud [frɔːd] - обман; мошенничество, жульничество

What a lark! – Как забавно!

drenched [drenʧt] - промокший

flimsy (clothes) ['flɪmzɪ] – тонкий (о ткани)

errand ['erənd] – поручение, задание

curb [kɜːb] – зд.: обочина

to forsake [fə'seɪk] (forsook, forsaken) - оставлять, покидать; бросать

36

traffic superintendent – диспетчер

Ex. 5. Study the following weather vocabulary and tick the words/phrases

you already know. Use the dictionary to check words you don’t know. Put the

words into three groups – nouns, adjectives, verbs.

weather forecast

rain

to rain (hard)

wind

to spring up (about wind)

shower

heavy (about rain etc.)

cold

wet

fine

thunderstorm

the sun

to shine

to pour

warm

set-fair (day)

heat

drought

water famine

sunstroke

simoom

sunny

atmospheric disturbance

pressure


Read Chapter 5 and find out:

1. if the three men got up on time as they had planned.

2. what the weather forecast predicted and what the real weather was like.

3. why the narrator doean’t like to deal with barometers.

4. how much luggage the three men had to take with them.

5. what the neighbours thought about the three men.

6. how they got on a train to Kingston.

37

7. if they arrived to their boat safely.

Ex. 2. Answer the following questions

1. What time did the three men wake up? Who woke them?

2. What information did George read in the newspaper? How did think about it?

3. Why doesn’t J. trust weather forecasts any more?

4. How did the weather that morning differ from what had been predicted in the

newspaper?

5. Why were Harris and J. shamed of their luggage?

6. Who came to the doorway first? What kind of character did that person have?

7. What transport came to take the characters first?

8. What train did the three men expect to catch and what train did they really

take?

VOCABULARY WORK

Ex. 1. What adjectives can be formed from these nouns? Make up a sentence

with an adjective, illustrating its use.

Example: rain – rainy. It’s a rainy day.

1. wind

2. snow

3. storm

4. sun

5. heat

38

Ex. 2. Put these weather words into 2 groups – Good weather and Bad

weather:

Rain / wind / shower / cold / wet / fine / warm / hot / sunny

Ex. 3. Match these adjectives with nouns to make appropriate collocations.

Sometimes more than one variant is possible:

strong shower

heavy day

cold wind

fine weather

hot thunderstorm

sunny weekend

occasional place

Ex. 4. Explain the difference (if any) between the following:

the sun is pouring / it’s pouring with rain

heat / drought

heavy shower / heavy rain

simooms / torrents

atmospheric pressure / atmospheric disturbance

Ex. 5. Use the following expressions in the sentences in their correct form:

39

to pour with rain

hot

weather forecast

warm

thunderstorms

drought

fine

heavy shower

strong wind

water famine

1. ___________________ stopped us from going out, so we decided to wait till it

stops ______________________.

2. The __________________ predicted occasional ______________, but in fact

the day was __________ and __________.

3. The _________________ sprang up and the window shut with a loud noise.

4. ___________ weather caused ____________ and ____________ in some

areas.


Ex. 1. Guess the meaning of the underlined words and expressions from

Chapter 5. Choose from variants a), b) or c).

1. Meanwhile, the rain came down in a steady torrent, and the lower part of the

town was under water, owing to the river having overflowed.

a) There was a lot of rain.

b) There was little rain.

c) The rain happened often.

40

2. Then there are those new style of barometers, the long straight ones. I never

can make head or tail of those.

a) New barometers never had a head or a tail.

b) I never had a head or a tail.

c) I could never understand them.

3. There seemed a good deal of luggage, when we put it all together.

a) We had good luggage.

b) Our luggage was heavy.

c) We had a lot of luggage.

4. This might have wounded a more sensitive nature, but Biggs’s boys are not, as

a rule, touchy.

a) Bigg’s boys never touch anyone.

b) Bigg’s boys never do any harm.

c) Bigg’s boys are not sensitive.

5. At last, an empty cab turned up (it is a street where, as a rule, and when they

are not wanted, empty cabs pass at the rate of three a minute, and hang about,

and get in your way)…

a) The cab turned round the corner.

b) The cab appeared.

c) The cab disappeared.

41

Ex. 2. Read the extract from Chapter 5. Underline all emotionally coloured

words and epithets the author uses. How do they make you feel as a reader? Check

the meaning of the underlined words with the dictionary and give appropriate

Russian equivalents.

I don’t know why it should be, I am sure; but the sight of another man asleep in

bed when I am up, maddens me. It seems to me so shocking to see the precious hours

of a man’s life—the priceless moments that will never come back to him again—

being wasted in mere brutish sleep.

Ex. 3. Analyze the speech of the local people commenting on the three men

leaving the house. Does this speech differ from other characters’ speech? What

words / phrases seem unusual / unknown to you? How can we interpret these

speech characteristics?

“Hi! ground floor o’ 42’s a-moving.”

They ain’t a-going to starve, are they?” said the gentleman from the boot-shop.

“Ah! you’d want to take a thing or two with you,” retorted “The Blue Posts,” “if you

was a-going to cross the Atlantic in a small boat.”

“They ain’t a-going to cross the Atlantic,” struck in Biggs’s boy; “they’re a-going to

find Stanley.”

Ex. 4. Make up a conversation between the neighbours discussing the three men

moving out. Include the versions mentioned in the text (crossing the Atlantics, a

wedding, a funeral…). Use the following expressions to express your opinion, to

disagree and to agree:

42

I think ...

It seems to me ...

(Personally,) I believe ...

(Personally,) I feel ...

As I see it, ...

To my knowledge…

I guess ...

I'm not sure you're

right about...

I'm sorry, but you

must be mistaken.

Nothing of the kind.

I might have

misunderstood you, but ...

You must have missed the

point.

No, that's all wrong.

Far from it.

I'm exactly of the

same opinion.

Oh, exactly!

I can't help thinking the

same.

I absolutely agree.

I'm not sure, in fact.

I'm afraid I entirely

disagree with ...

I don't think that's right.

43


PRE-READING


1. Do you like visiting historical places? What’s your favourite historical place to

go to? What do you feel when you visit a place like that?

2. Would you like to live in an ancient house? Why/why not? How would you

feel living there?

Ex. 2. Study the pronunciation of the following proper names. What do you

know about them?

Great Caesar ['siːzə]

Elizabeth [ɪ'lɪzəbəθ]

the Tudors ['tjuːdəz]

the Stuarts [stjuəts]

Stanford ['stanfərd]

Ex. 3. Guess the meaning of these words and expressions:

coronation feast

to stand hand in hand

moonlight

wallpaper

to win prizes

weak-minded

44

Ex. 4. Study the following words and their pronunciation:

dainty ['deɪntɪ] - изящный, грациозный; изысканный

towpath ['təupɑːθ] – бечёвник (дорога, проложенная вдоль канала, реки;

изначально использовалась для бечевой тяги)

towline ['təulaɪn] – буксир, буксирный трос

musing [mjuːzɪŋ] – зд.: размышления

sack [sæk] – зд.: белое сухое вино типа хереса

mead [miːd] - медовуха

casement ['keɪsmənt] – оконная створка

tumult ['t(j)uːmʌlt] – шум и крики; суматоха, суета

brawl [brɔːl] - шумная ссора, перебранка, скандал;

swagger (down) ['swægə] – ходить с важным видом

borough ['bʌrə] – городок, небольшой город

then and there - в этот момент, тотчас же, на месте, тут же

expostulate [ɪk'spɔsʧəleɪt ] – увещевать, уговаривать, стараться образумить

to yearn [jɜːn] – (yearn for / after) томиться, тосковать по (кому-л. / чему-

л.); очень сильно хотеть (чего-л.)

dog-days ['dɔgˌdeɪz] – самые жаркие летние дни

intrinsic [ɪn'trɪnzɪk ] – присущий, свойственный, важный, значительный

gush (over) [gʌʃ] – перехлестывать, фонтанировать

mantel ornament ['mænt(ə)l] – украшение камина

maze [meɪz] – лабиринт

unanimity [ˌjuːnə'nɪmətɪ] – единодушие

revel ['rev(ə)l] – веселье, пирушка

45


E.x. 1. Read Chapter 6 and find out why the author mentions these people

and things:

– Queen Elizabeth

– an oak staircase

– a boy named Stivvings

– a souvenir china-dog

– the maze at Hampton Court

Ex. 2. Answer the questions after reading Chapter 6:

1. What events of English history happened in Kingston?

2. What problems could take place if you lived in a house decorated with carved

oak?

3. Why was Stivvings “the most extraordinary lad” the narrator ever came across?

4. How will people in the future perceive the objects from the present, according to

the author?

5. What happened to Harris in the maze at Hampton Court?

VOCABULARY WORK

Ex. 1. Find English equivalents to these words from Chapter 6:

суматоха, суета

лабиринт

небольшой городок

антикварный магазин, лавка древностей

46

мастерство, квалификация

Give Russian equivalents to these words from Chapter 6:

dog-days

parish

hot-house

halo

mob

Ex. 2. Which of these verbs can be used in the same form as nouns with the

same meaning? Think of other nouns, which fan be formed from these verbs.

Make up 2 sentences with each verb-noun pair.

Example: to stop:

a) We stopped in the hotel. (to stop =a verb)

b) We went to a bus stop (stop = a noun)

to hate

to stuff

to float

to agree

to speak

Ex. 3. Match the adjectives and nouns in the way they were used in the text:

carved roof

spacious trifles

intrinsic oak

47

cheap beauty

gabled joke

practical house

Ex. 4. What words are these compound adjectives / nouns formed from?

Can we guess their meaning from the components they are made from? Divide

the words into two groups – nouns and adjectives.

tow-path

public-house

battle –music

sugar-plum

water-steps

pearl-embroidered

dog-days

laughing-gas

hot-house

hay-fever

soup-plate

beer-mug

drawing-room

candle-snuffer

light-heartedness

present-day

sunlight

hill-side

daytime

gas-lit

Ex. 5. Insert the following words / phrases into the gaps in the correct form:

hot-house

workmanship

carved oak

to infuriate

mob

priceless

curiosity shop

48

1. When Harris drew out his map, this __________ the _______.

2. One day the things we use every day will become __________ samples of

ancient times and will be sold in _________________.

3. These plants are not adjusted to our climate, they can only grow in

_______________.

4. This ancient house is an excellent sample of the architect’s _____________.

The _______________ staircase is worth mentioning.


Ex. 1. Look at the extract from Chapter 6. Underline all adjectives in the

extract. Are they emotionally coloured? Can we call them epithets?

Many of the old houses, round about, speak very plainly of those days when

Kingston was a royal borough, and nobles and courtiers lived there, near their King,

and the long road to the palace gates was gay all day with clanking steel and

prancing palfreys, and rustling silks and velvets, and fair faces. The large and

spacious houses, with their oriel, latticed windows, their huge fireplaces, and their

gabled roofs, breathe of the days of hose and doublet, of pearl-embroidered

stomachers, and complicated oaths.

Find other stylistic devices in the extract.

Ex. 2. Look at the extract from Chapter 6. Find the opposite expressions.

Married men have wives, and don’t seem to want them; and young single

fellows cry out that they can’t get them. Poor people who can hardly keep themselves

have eight hearty children. Rich old couples, with no one to leave their money to, die

childless.

49

The stylistic device is called a “paradox” - a person, thing, or situation

exhibiting an apparently contradictory nature.

Which of the following is not a paradox?

a) Such is life; and we are but as grass that is cut down, and put into the oven and

baked.

b) The girls that have lovers never want them. They say they would rather be

without them, that they bother them, and why don’t they go and make love to

Miss Smith and Miss Brown, who are plain and elderly, and haven’t got any

lovers? They themselves don’t want lovers. They never mean to marry.

c) He was full of weird and unnatural notions about being a credit to his parents

and an honour to the school; and he yearned to win prizes, and grow up and

be a clever man, and had all those sorts of weak-minded ideas.

d) He would take bronchitis in the dog-days, and have hay-fever at Christmas.

After a six weeks’ period of drought, he would be stricken down with rheumatic

fever; and he would go out in a November fog and come home with a

sunstroke.

Ex. 3. Retell the story of Harris getting lost in the maze from his own point of

view. Use the following expressions:

This happened when…

It took place in…

The problem was that…

Then…

After that…

Next…

50

In brief,…

To conclude…

51


PRE-READING

Before reading the chapter, answer these questions:

1. Have you ever seen a big ship sail away? Why did people use to dress up for

this event?

2. Do you like dressing up? What’s your favourite piece of clothes?

3. Why do people go to cemeteries? Have you ever been there? How did you feel

there?

Look at these words from Chapter 7. Find their meaning in a dictionary.

What do you think the chapter will be about?

a lock

a quay [ki:]

up (down) the stream

a churchyard - ['ʧɜːʧjɑːd]

a tomb [tuːm]

a grave

Guess the meaning of the following words and combinations:

bright / colourful clothes

a boating costume

a water picnic

an epitaph

the bank of a river

52

Study these words and expressions:

garb [gɑːb] - наряд, одеяние

pell-mell [ˌpel'mel] - путаница; беспорядок, неразбериха; 1) беспорядочно,

как придётся

obstinate ['ɔbstɪnɪt] - упрямый, своевольный; не поддающийся (убеждению,

просьбам)

natty ['nætɪ] - изящный; аккуратный, опрятный

to suit smb [s(j)uːt] - подходить, идти, быть к лицу

huffy ['hʌfɪ] - а) обидчивый б) обиженный; раздражённый

fetching ['feʧɪŋ] - заманчивый, очаровательный, привлекательный,

притягательный,

martyr ['mɑːtə] - мученик, страдалец

oarsman ['ɔːzmən] - гребец

notwithstanding [ˌnɔtwɪθ'stændɪŋ] - несмотря на, вопреки

to huddle up ['hʌdl] - собираться (вместе) , жаться (друг к другу)

to shudder ['ʃʌdə] - вздрагивать, содрогаться; бросать в дрожь

to splash [splæʃ] – брызгать, плескать

to row [rəu] – грести, работать веслами

bow [bau] -нос корабля, бак

thick-headed [ˌθɪk'hedɪd] - тупоголовый

tree trunk - ствол дерева

to lean [liːn] – наклонять(ся), нагибать(ся)

bolt upright - очень прямо; словно аршин проглотил (обычно используется

с глаголами to sit и to stand)

to trip up over – спотыкаться о

to hanker after (for) smth - ['hæŋkə] - страстно желать, очень хотеть,

жаждать

to creep round [kriːp] – красться, подкрадываться

53

wheezy ['(h)wiːzɪ] – хриплый, сиплый, сопящий

imperturbability ['ɪmpəˌtɜːbə'bɪlətɪ] невозмутимость, покой, спокойствие

cussedness ['kʌsɪdnəs] - упрямство

grave [greɪv] - могила; захоронение

coffin ['kɔfɪn] - гроб

vault [vɔːlt] - свод, склеп

bas-relief [ˌbɑːrɪ'liːf ], [ˌbæsrɪ'liːf] - барельеф

obdurate ['ɔbdj(ə)rət] - чёрствый; ожесточённый

skull [skʌl] 1. 1) череп

crypt [krɪpt] - крипта, подземная усыпальница

to revel ['rev(ə)l] – пировать, веселиться

slop [slɔp] – бурда, пойло, плохой неприятный напиток

ginger beer [ˌʤɪnʤə'bɪə] имбирный лимонад; имбирное пиво

raspberry syrup ['rɑːzb(ə)rɪ 'sɪrəp] – малиновый сироп

topsy-turvy [ˌtɔpsɪ'tɜːvɪ] – перевернутый вверх дном, беспорядочный


Read Chapter 7 and put the events in the correct order:

a) Harris invited J. to see Mrs. Thomas’s tomb.

b) J. comments on his friends’ tastes in clothes.

c) J. refuses to go to the cemetery.

d) Harris wants a drink.

e) The narrator gave the example of the two girls who were inappropriately

dressed for a boat trip.

f) The people of the riverside towns went out beautifully dressed to walk

down the quay.

g) J. remembers the case when an old man invited him to see the tombs.

54

h) Harris blames George for not working.

Read the chapter and say if these statements are True or False (T/F):

1. For the citizens of Hampton and Mousley the lock was a place for

entertainment.

2. Harris has very good taste in clothes.

3. The costumes of the girls from J’s story were quite suitable for a boat trip.

4. The narrator didn’t want to see the tombs when the old man asked him to.

5. Harris said that George always shifts his responsibilities onto others.

VOCABULARY WORK

Ex. 1. Find English equivalents to these Russian words from Chapter 7:

клубный пиджак, спортивная куртка

перчатки

плащ, накидка

шейный платок

шляпа

туфли

ремень

кепка

шарф

пиджак, жакет

носовой платок

55

Ex. 2. Match these adjectives and nouns to make word combinations. Use the

text to help you.

leather handkerch

ief

silk design

oriental gloves

light shoes

pretty blazer

bright shade

saucy costume

boating hat

Ex. 3. Match verbs and adverbs to make word combinations. Use the text of

Chapter 7 to help you.

to throw beautifully

to match huffy

to be visibly

to get pell-mell

to set lips firm

to shrink vexed about

something

Ex. 4. Match these words from chapter 7 with their definitions:

56

a cloak a length or square of fabric worn around the neck or head

a blazer a plan or drawing produced to show the look and function or

workings of a garment, or other object before it is made

a belt a covering for the hand worn for protection against cold or

dirt and typically having separate parts for each finger and the

thumb

a scarf a strip of leather or other material worn around the waist or

across the chest, esp. in order to support clothes or carry weapons

gloves comparative darkness and coolness caused by shelter from

direct sunlight

design an outdoor overgarment, typically sleeveless, that hangs

loosely from the shoulders

shade Impudent, bold and lively; smart-looking

saucy a lightweight jacket, typically solid-colored, often worn as

part of a uniform by members of a club, sports team, or school

Ex. 5. Insert these words and phrases into the appropriate sentence in its

correct form:

parasols

dainty

quay

to match

blazer

to put on

leather

ribbons

silk

to get up

clothes

design

lace

1. The people crowded on the(1)__________, all wearing bright (2)___________

and carrying colourful (3)____________.

57

2. This colour (4)___________ your eyes excellently.

3. George (5)_____________ his new (6)__________ and asked us what we

thought about it. The shop-assistant told him it was oriental (7)___________.

4. The girls were beautifully (8)____________ - in dresses of (9)__________,

(10)____________ and (11)___________.

5. Her (12)___________ shoes and (13)___________ gloves told us about her

social position.


Ex. 1. Pay attention to the use and non-use of conjunctions in the following

paragraphs from Chapter 7:

All the inhabitants of Hampton and Moulsey dress themselves up in boating

costume, and come and mouch round the lock with their dogs, and flirt, and smoke,

and watch the boats; and, altogether, what with the caps and jackets of the men, the

pretty coloured dresses of the women, the excited dogs, the moving boats, the white

sails, the pleasant landscape, and the sparkling water, it is one of the gayest sights I

know of near this dull old London town.

They were both beautifully got up—all lace and silky stuff, and flowers, and

ribbons, and dainty shoes, and light gloves.

What stylistic device is used by the author? What effect does it help to

achieve? Does the author use this device somewhere else in the chapter?

Ex. 2. Look at the phrase in bold in the following extract. Does the author

compare the girls to the Christian martyrs or assimilates the girls with them?

58

One of them rubbed the cushion with the forefinger of her glove, and showed

the result to the other, and they both sighed, and sat down, with the air of early

Christian martyrs trying to make themselves comfortable up against the stake.

Read the definition of a metaphor. Is the example given above a metaphor or

a comparison?

Metaphor is a figure of speech, which makes an implicit, implied or hidden

comparison between two things or objects that are poles apart from each other, but

have some characteristics common between them. In other words, a resemblance of

two contradictory or different objects is made, based on a single or some common

characteristics.

Find at least one example of a metaphor in the chapter.

Ex. 3. Comment on the general tone of this extract. Is it lyrical? tragic?

poetic? ironic? Explain your answer.

It was a lovely landscape. It was idyllic, poetical, and it inspired me. I felt good and

noble. I felt I didn’t want to be sinful and wicked any more. I would come and live

here, and never do any more wrong, and lead a blameless, beautiful life, and have

silver hair when I got old, and all that sort of thing.

In that moment I forgave all my friends and relations for their wickedness and

cussedness, and I blessed them. They did not know that I blessed them. They went

their abandoned way all unconscious of what I, far away in that peaceful village, was

doing for them; but I did it, and I wished that I could let them know that I had done it,

because I wanted to make them happy.

59

How does the extract above contrast with the passages when the old man

invites J. to see the tombs?

Ex. 4. Describe the characters of J., Harris and George. Comment on their

attitude to each other. Use these phrases to help you:

I think…

it seems to me that…

From my point of view,…

My impression is that….

It goes without saying that…

I am of the opinion that….

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PRE-READING


1. Do you like singing? Have you ever sung in public? How did you feel then?

2. What usually happens if a person invades somebody’s private territory?

3. What historical places in your area were visited by famous people of the past?

Have you been to those places?

Ex. 2. Study the pronunciation of these proper names. Who were these

historical personalities? What were they famous for? Use references if necessary.

Caesar

Queen Elizabeth

Henry XVIII

King Charles

The Duchess of York

Cassivelaunus

Ex. 3. Guess the meaning of these words, choose from the two possible

meanings. Then check with the dictionary. What helped you to guess it right?

chummy a) sociable

b) sad

vexed a) surprised

b) angry

rough a)indelicate

61

b)polite

grotto a) a cave

b)a mountain

to jerk a)to move slowly

b)to move abruptly

titter a)a short, half-suppressed laugh

b) a long conversation

Ex. 4. What parts of speech are the following words? Divide them into 3

groups: nouns, adjectives, adverbs. How do you tell one part of speech from

another? What is the root word in each case? Guess the meaning of these words

and find their translation in the dictionary.

boorishness

gruffly

firmness

selfishness

vindictiveness

exactly

soulful

artful

continuously

exceedingly

seriousness

sojourned


willow, n - ['wɪləu] - ива

to vex, v - [veks] 1) досаждать, раздражать; возмущать,

boorish, adj ['bɔːrɪʃ ], ['buərɪʃ] - грубый, невежливый, невоспитанный

to trespass, v ['trespəs] - посягать, злоупотреблять (чем-л.), причинять вред,

противоправно нарушать владение

gruff, adj [grʌf] - грубый; неприветливый, сердитый

62

a well-made (man), adj [ˌwel'meɪd] - пропорциональный, соразмерный,

хорошо сложённый (о человеке)

to pursue, v [pə'sjuː] - преследовать (кого-л.) ; гнаться, бежать (за кем-л.)

timid, adj ['tɪmɪd] робкий; застенчивый

imposition, n [ˌɪmpə'zɪʃ(ə)n] 1) обложение (налогом) , наложение (запрета,

штрафа, наказания) 2) налог, пошлина, сбор;

slouch about, phr v [slauʧ] – слоняться, болтаться без дела

riparian [raɪ'pɛərɪən] 1. прибрежный, находящийся на берегу, относящийся

к берегу, riparian proprietor – владелец прибрежной полосы

minor tributary ['trɪbjət(ə)rɪ] stream – малый приток

backwater, n ['bækˌwɔːtə] – заводь

to drive posts – вколачивать столбики

to draw chains – тянуть цепи

bed (of the stream) – русло (реки)

vindictive, adj [vɪn'dɪktɪv] - мстительный

to smirk, v [smɜːk] - притворно или глупо улыбаться; ухмыляться

two bars in front of accompaniment – на два такта раньше аккомпанимента

to snigger, v ['snɪgə] - хихикать, посмеиваться; давиться от смеха

to roar, v [rɔː] - реветь, орать, рычать, рокотать

to scowl, v [skaul] - смотреть сердито, бросать сердитый взгляд

to send smb into fits – доводить до судорог

to jilt, v [ʤɪlt] – обманывать, бросать (супруга, партнера)

a trying situation ['traɪɪŋ] - трудное положение

unostentatious, adj [ʌnˌɔsten'teɪʃəs] - ненавязчивый; неброский, скромный

to scull, v [skʌl] – грести, плыть (на лодке)

sculls - весла

to steer, v [stɪə] - править рулём, управлять (автомобилем и т. п.) ; вести

(судно)

to pull, v [pul] - тянуть, тащить

foot-bridge (also: footbridge, foot bridge), n ['futbrɪʤ] - пешеходный мост

63

weir, n [wɪə] - плотина, запруда; водослив, дамба

to grind away, phr v - усердно работать над (чем-л.) ; учиться (чему-л.)

entrenchment, n [ɪn'trenʧmənt ], [en-] - окоп, траншея, ров, канава

to sojourn, v ['sɔʤɜːn] – временно пребывать, останавливаться

to curb, v [kɜːb] – обуздывать, сдерживать

stake, n [steɪk] - столб, кол; стойка

adroit, adj [ə'drɔɪt] ловкий, проворный; искусный; находчивый

to drag, v [dræg] - тянуть, тащить, волочить


Ex. 1. Read the chapter and put the events in the correct order:

a) Harris sings a comic song

b) A man came to the three friends saying they were trespassing

c) Pulling the boat

d) A stop at Kempton park

e) Herr Slossen Bossen

f) The riverside owners become more arrogant

g) Revengeful mood

Ex. 2. Look through the chapter again and answer the questions:

1. Why did the three men decode to stop at Kempton park?

2. How did the three men manage to get rid of the gentleman at Kempton park?

3. How does Harris sing comic songs?

4. Why did two young men advise to listen to Herr Slossenn Boschen?

5. What kind of song did Herr Slossenn Boschen sing?

64

6. Why was it difficult to pull upstream?

7. Who of the famous people had been at Walton, according to the narrator?

8. What musical instrument did George buy at the end? What was the purpose of

buying it?

VOCABULARY WORK

Ex. 1. What parts of speech are the words underlined in these pairs of

sentences? What helps you understand that?

1. a) I will just give you an idea of Harris’s comic singing.

b) It doesn’t matter what Harris is singing.

2. a) Murmurs of delight and anxiety…

b) “Oh, how jolly!” they murmur.

3. a) And then you can judge of it for yourself.

b) It’s the Judge’s song out of Pinafore.

4. a) General roar of laughter was taken by Harris as a compliment.

b) When they roared, I roared.

5 . a) We wanted a good laugh.

b) When we began to laugh, the expression of his face was one of intense

surprise.

6. a) I bent down over the sculls.

b) I was sculling.

65

7. a) You don’t mind if a man… comes down with a jerk.

b) So I managed to jerk his cap into the water.

Ex. 2. Give English equivalents to these words. Give 2-3 variants, if possible.

Can you explain the difference between them?

- отдавать, платить, оказывать услугу

- ожидать

- сверх, выше, за пределами

- беспокоить, надоедать

- налаживать, чинить, закреплять

- превосходить, превышать

Ex. 3. Translate the following expressions into Russian:

to have nothing to do with smth

to put an end to smth

to render a service

(not) to bother about smth

to expect smb to do smth

to be beyond smth

to have one’s eyes fixed on smth

to surpass oneself

Ex. 4. Use the expressions from Ex. 3 in the correct sentences in their

appropriate form:

66

1. Could you ________ me__________? I need to post this letter.

2. In the last verse Harris __________ himself. Nobody ever ___________ him to

sing like that.

3. Don’t ____________ about this problem. I’ll take care of it.

4. “We have to __________________ this foolishness”, said the head teacher. He

had ______________________ his colleagues.

5. The suspect said he ___________________ to do with the crime. In fact, he

had an alibi.

6. This book is _____________ my understanding – it is so complicated!


Ex.1. Does the author use direct or indirect speech in this extract from

Chapter 8?

“We said we hadn’t given the matter sufficient consideration as yet to enable

us to arrive at a definite conclusion on that point, but that, if he assured us on his

word as a gentleman that we were trespassing, we would, without further hesitation,

believe it.”

What is the tone of the sentence (formal/ informal/ casual / polite etc.)?

Why do you think the author used this particular type of speech? What effect

did he want to achieve?

Ex. 2. Read this extract from Chapter 8:

“Well, you don’t look for much of a voice in a comic song. You don’t expect correct

phrasing or vocalization. You don’t mind if a man does find out, when in the middle

of a note, that he is too high, and comes down with a jerk. You don’t bother about

time. You don’t mind a man being two bars in front of the accompaniment, and

67

easing up in the middle of a line to argue it out with the pianist, and then starting the

verse afresh. But you do expect the words.

You don’t expect a man to never remember more than the first three lines of the first

verse, and to keep on repeating these until it is time to begin the chorus. You don’t

expect a man to break off in the middle of a line, and snigger, and say, it’s very

funny, but he’s blest if he can think of the rest of it, and then try and make it up for

himself, and, afterwards, suddenly recollect it, when he has got to an entirely

different part of the song, and break off, without a word of warning, to go back and

let you have it then and there. You don’t—well, I will just give you an idea of Harris’s

comic singing, and then you can judge of it for yourself.”

What word/ phrase is repeated many times in this extract?

Is the stylistic device called:

a) polysyndeton?

b) parallelism?

c) parenthesis?

Why do you think the author didn’t substitute the repeated words with a synonym

or didn’t use a comma?

Find 2 more examples of the same stylistic device Chapter 8.

Ex. 3. Look at the part of the Chapter where the author describes Harris’s singing.

What literary genre is this type of writing typical for (roles of the character,

author’s remarks, direct speech)? What effect is achieved by using this change in

literary genres?

Ex. 4. Continue the following sentences using the information from Chapter

8:

1. The old gentleman came up to the three men because…

2. The reason why Harris was furious was that…

68

3. Harris can’t sing comic songs because…

4. The song of Herr Slossenn Boschen wasn’t funny because…

5. Some famous people liked going up the river because…

6. George bought a banjo because…

Ex. 5. What new information does the author give his readers about these

locations? What are they famous for?

- Sunbury lock

- Walton

- Windsor and Abingdon

- Reading

- Oatlands Park

- “Cornway Stakes”

- Halliford and Shepperton

- Weybridge

69


PRE-READING

Ex. 1. Read the definition of the verb “to tow” and answer the questions:

Tow – (v) to pull hard (a car, a barge, a trailer etc.) by a rope, chain or other

device.

Why would people tow a boat? What difficulties may take place while towing

a boat?

Guess the meaning of the word “tow-line”, then check with the dictionary.

Were you right?

Ex. 2. Have you ever travelled with your family of relatives? Tell the class

about any interesting cases that happened to you while travelling.

Ex. 3. Guess the meaning of these words from their root-word. Pay attention

to the part of speech and the prefix/ suffix / preposition used. Then check with the

dictionary.

heathen ['hiːð(ə)n] - язычник

heathenish - ?

dole – доля, судьба

doleful – ?

to entangle – запутывать

to disentangle - ?

to wind – вить(ся), извиваться

to unwind -

70

to embark – грузить(ся) (на

корабль)

to disembark – ?

to drift – относить, гнать

(ветром); переходить (из одного

состояния в другое)

to drift off - ?

to pin – прикреплять

to pin up - ?

accountable – понятный,

объяснимый

unaccountable - ?

hook – крюк, крючок

boat-hook - ?

to lade – грузить (судно)

laden boat - ?

mat – коврик

doormat - ?

net – сеть

fishing net - ?

affable – приветливый,

дружеский, любезный

affably - ?

canny – осторожный,

спокойный, уютный

uncanny - ?

brisk – живой, оживленный,

проворный

briskly - ?

to hitch – продвигать вперед,

подтягивать, цеплять

hitcher - ?

Ex. 4. Study these words and their pronunciation. How many words

designating parts of a boat are there?

callous, adj ['kæləs] - загрубелый, чёрствый, бессердечный,

conscious, adj ['kɔn(t)ʃ(ə)n(t)s] - совесть, сознание

tangle, n, v ['tæŋgl] - клубок / запутывать

knot, n [nɔt] - узел

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loop, n [luːp] - петля

crochet work, n ['krəuʃeɪ] - вязание крючком; вещь, связанная крючком

to knit, v [nɪt] - вязать

antimacassar, n [ˌæntɪmə'kæsə] - салфетка (на спинке мягкой мебели)

to unravel, v [ʌn'ræv(ə)l] - распутывать (нитки и т. п.)

swaddling clothes ['swɔdlɪŋ] - пеленки

infant, n ['ɪnfənt] - младенец, ребёнок

to grunt, v [grʌnt] - ворчать; бормотать

muddle, n ['mʌdl] - путаница, неразбериха; беспорядок,

scaffolding pole ['skæfəuldɪŋ pəul] - стойка лесов

to give a yell [jel] – издать крик, вопль

to go mad [mæd] – сойти с ума, обезуметь

to seize, v [siːz] - схватить, хватать

to haul, v [hɔːl] - тащить, тянуть (сети, снасти)

weir, n [wɪə] - плотина, запруда; водослив, дамба

ungrateful, adj [ʌn'greɪtf(ə)l ], [-ful] - неблагодарный

truant, n ['truːənt] – лентяй, прогульщик

to shriek, v [ʃriːk] - пронзительно кричать, визжать, издавать резкий,

пронзительный звук

frantic, adj ['fræntɪk] безумный, неистовый, яростный

distress, n [dɪ'stres] - боль, недомогание, горе, несчастье, бедствие

rudder, n ['rʌdə] - руль

to confound, [kən'faund] – зд.: проклинать

to curse, v [kɜːs] – ругаться, сквернословить, проклинать

to jeer at smb, v [ʤɪə] – язвить, насмехаться над к-л

oblivious, adj [ə'blɪvɪəs] – рассеянный, забывчивый

mast, v [mɑːst] - мачта

stern, n [stɜːn] – зд.: корма

hulking, adj ['hʌlkɪŋ] гигантский, громадный, массивный

chap [ʧæp] - парень

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maiden, n ['meɪd(ə)n]- девица, девушка

reposeful, adj [rɪ'pəuzf(ə)l ], [-ful] - успокоительный, успокаивающий

larboard, n ['lɑːbəd] - левый борт (корабля)

starboard, n ['stɑːbɔːd] - правый борт (корабля)

steed, n [stiːd] – (поэт.) конь

butt-end, n [ˌbʌt'end] - толстый конец (обшивной доски корабля)

frock, n [frɔk] - платье

shelter, n ['ʃeltə] - приют, кров; пристанище

trifle, n ['traɪfl] - мелочь, пустяк

to trudge, v [trʌʤ] - идти с трудом, устало тащиться

hobgoblin, n [ˌhɔb'gɔblɪn] - домовой

banshee, n [bæn'ʃiː] - (ирл., мифол.) банши (фольклорный персонаж:

привидение-плакальщица, чьи завывания под окнами дома предвещают

обитателю этого дома смерть)

will-o’-the-wisp, n [ˌwɪləðə'wɪsp] - блуждающий огонёк (на болоте)


Ex. 1. Read Chapter 9, do the tasks and answer the questions.

1. The Narrator gives his opinion on tow-lines. What does he think about them?

2. J. gives different examples of incidents at tow-lines. What happened in each

case?

3. J. describes towing by girls. Why does he think three girls are needed for that?

Why shouldn’t girls stop during towing?

4. The Narrator describes the case of towing a boat with his cousin. What was the

problem and how was it solved?

73

Ex. 2. Look through Chapter 9 again and say if these statements are True (T)

or False (F).

1. George loves working.

2. A lot of interesting things may happen while towing.

3. Towers are sometimes so busy that they don’t notice people around them.

4. Girls tow boats just like men.

5. Sometimes only a miracle can save you if you are lost on a river.

VOCABULARY WORK

Ex. 1. Give Russian equivalents to the following words:

a knot

a rope

suddenly

briskly

to give up

to jerk

Ex. 2. Give antonyms to the following:

to entangle –

to wind –

to pull –

to walk up (the bank) –

to start -

grateful –

Ex. 3. Match the parts of these word combinations from Chapter 9. Give

their appropriate Russian translation. Check with the dictionary to make sure.

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to tie into hope

to unwind briskly

to disentangle the rope

to walk suddenly

to stop a knot

to reassure somebody

to give up the situation

What is the difference between the verbs to untie, to unwind and

disentangle?

Ex. 4. Fill in the gaps in the sentences with expressions from Ex. 3 in their

appropriate form.

1. This is quite a difficult situation but you have to ____________ it if you don’t

want to make it worse.

2. We almost ____________ hope to find Harris, but soon we saw him walking

up ____________ towards us.

3. While we were towing the boat we had to stop ___________ to __________

the entangled ropes.

4. Take these two ends of the rope and _________ them into _________ so it

won’t get undone.

5. We ______________ them that we would not be late.

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Ex. 1. Look at the underlined expressions from the text. Think of their a)

part of speech, b)prefixes/suffixes, c)explain their possible meaning in English.

Check your ideas with a dictionary:

1. There is something very strange and unaccountable about a tow-line. You roll

it up with as much patience and care as you would take to fold up a new pair of

trousers, and five minutes afterwards, when you pick it up, it is one ghastly,

soul-revolting tangle.

2. “Why don’t you think what you are doing? You go about things in such a slap-

dash style.”

3. We found the truant for them half a mile further down, held by some rushes,

and we brought it back to them. I bet they did not give that boat another chance

for a week.

4. It takes three girls to tow always; two hold the rope, and the other one runs

round and round, and giggles.

5. It was half-past six when we reached Benson’s lock, and dusk was drawing on,

and she began to get excited then.

6. This idea did not comfort her in the least, and she began to cry.

Ex. 2. Read this extract from Chapter 9. Express its main idea in one

sentence. How many sentences does the author use? What impression does this

sentence structure produce on the reader?

I do not wish to be insulting, but I firmly believe that if you took an average

tow-line, and stretched it out straight across the middle of a field, and then turned

your back on it for thirty seconds, that, when you looked round again, you would find

that it had got itself altogether in a heap in the middle of the field, and had twisted

76

itself up, and tied itself into knots, and lost its two ends, and become all loops; and it

would take you a good half-hour, sitting down there on the grass and swearing all the

while, to disentangle it again.

Ex. 3. The author mainly uses third-person narration and indirect speech.

But in some episodes he switches to direct speech, like in this extract from Chapter

9:

“Hi! stop a minute, will you?” he shouts cheerily. “I’ve dropped my hat over-

board.”

Then: “Hi! Tom—Dick! can’t you hear?” not quite so affably this time.

Then: “Hi! Confound you, you dunder-headed idiots! Hi! stop! Oh you—!”

Try to change the extract above into indirect speech. Will it sound more/less

emotional, natural, nervous? Why do you think J. K. Jerome changes the way of

his narration sometimes?

Ex. 4. Find the episode about a young man and a girl towing a boat from

Chapter 9, starting with “As an example of how utterly oblivious a pair of towers

can be…” up to “George replied he didn’t know”. Retell this episode from

George’s point of view. Use the following phrases to help you:

- a fellow and a girl

- deep in a conversation

- a boat-hook

- a tow-line

- there must have been…

- whatever the accident may have been…

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- a bright idea flashed across me…

- four hulking chaps

- the young couple realized…

- “where is auntie?”

Ex. 5. Choose any other episode described in the chapter and make up a

dialogue based on it.

78


PRE-READING


1. Have you ever been camping? Have you ever tried to put up a tent? What

challenges do people usually face during a camping holiday?

2. What kitchen appliances do you usually use during camping? Do you prefer to

cook at the campsite or to take prepared food with you?

3. What problems could take place during a river-trip?

Ex. 2. Place these compound words into two groups – nouns and adjectives.

Guess their meaning from their components, then check with a dictionary:

coal-barge

elm-tree

under-estimated

boat-hook

well-digested

noble-minded

kindly-hearted

spoonful

god-like

ill-tempered

well-fitted

dim-lit

Ex. 3. Study these words from Chapter 10, tick all the words which are

familiar to you:

nook, n [nuk] – бухта, укромный уголок

canvas, n ['kænvəs] - холст, парусина; брезент

hinge, n [hɪnʤ] – петля, крюк

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stern, n [stɜːn] - корма

to bungle,v ['bʌŋgl] – неумело работать, портить работу

to suffocate, v ['sʌfəkeɪt] - душить, удушать, задыхаться

to withstand, v [wɪð'stænd] (withstood) - устоять (перед чем-л.) , выдержать

(что-л.) ; противостоять, не поддаваться (чему-л.)

to squat down, v [skwɔt] – присесть, опуститься на корточки

cutlery, n ['kʌtl(ə)rɪ] – столовые приборы (ножи, ложки, вилки)

crockery, n ['krɔk(ə)rɪ] - посуда (глиняная, фаянсовая)

molar, n ['məulə] - коренной зуб

contentment, n [kən'tentmənt] - удовлетворение

hoop, n [huːp] - обод, обруч

eloquent, adj ['eləkwənt] - красноречивый

to quiver, v ['kwɪvə] - дрожать мелкой дрожью; трястись; колыхаться;

to grin, v [grɪn] - скалить зубы; осклабиться; ухмыляться

to tumble, v ['tʌmbl] = tumble down / off - падать

to drivel, v ['drɪv(ə)l] - говорить бессвязно; говорить ерунду, нести чепуху

to splutter, v ['splʌtə] - говорить быстро и бессвязно, лопотать

ninny, n ['nɪnɪ] - дурачок, простофиля

vigilant, adj ['vɪʤɪlənt] - бдительный; бодрствующий, неусыпный,

бессонный

pious, adj ['paɪəs] - набожный, благочестивый; праведный, религиозный

to tread (trod, trod), v [tred, trɔd] – ступать, наступать

to shudder, v ['ʃʌdə] - вздрагивать, содрогаться; бросать в дрожь

to chuck smb out, v [ʧʌk] – выкидывать, выбрасывать, выгонять

valiant, adj ['vælɪənt] - храбрый, отважный, доблестный

cramped, adj [kræmpt] - вынужденно сжатый, ужатый; сдавленный,

тесный; стиснутый

to swallow, v ['swɔləu] - глотать

gimlet, n ['gɪmlɪt] - бурав(чик)

excruciating, adj [ɪks'kruːʃɪeɪtɪŋ ], [eks-] мучительный

80

stuffy, adj ['stʌfɪ] - душный

to awe, v [ɔː] – внушать страх, благоговение

vista, n ['vɪstə] - перспектива, вид, вереница, возможности, виды на

будущее

wondrous, adj ['wʌndrəs] - изумительный, поразительный, удивительный,

чудесный

moan, n [məun] - стон

briar, n ['braɪə] - шиповник, колючий кустарник, куст с шипами

to grieve, v [griːv] - огорчать, горевать, убиваться

devious, adj ['diːvɪəs] - удалённый, отдалённый; окольный


Ex. 1. Put the events of the chapter in the correct order:

a) Getting a kettle to boil.

b) George remembers a funny thing that happened to his father.

c) The beauty of the night.

d) Human being is dominated by his stomach.

e) Having supper.

f) Rolling up a canvas. Helping George and Harris.

g) Difficulties with falling asleep on a boat.

h) Difficulties with putting up a canvas.

i) The image of a knight in a wood of Sorrow.

Ex. 2. Look through the chapter again and answer the questions:

1. What did the three men plan to do in the evening and what did they really do?

81

2. What problems did they have while putting up a canvas? How were the

problems solved?

3. What is the Narrator’s recipe to get the kettle to boil?

4. How, according to the Narrator’s point of view, do people behave when they

are hungry?

5. What happened in the George’s story?

6. Why couldn’t J. sleep on the boat at night?

7. What happened to the knight in J’s imagination?

VOCABULARY WORK

Ex. 1. a) Look at these words with suffix –less from Chapter 10. What does

suffix –less mean? Can you guess their meaning from the root of the word?

soulless

brainless

listless

senseless

helpless

b) Match the words with their synonyms without suffix –less:

unconscious

cruel

unprotected

silly

indifferent

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c) Make up some more words with this suffix from the following nouns, guess

their meaning, then check with the dictionary:

health, room, money, change, count.

Ex. 2. Read the extract about a kettle from Chapter 10 and match a verb+ a

noun to make collocations:

To put lemonade

To lit the stove out

To squatter

down

a kettle to boil

To have to supper

To get your meal

To begin the lantern

Use these collocations in the sentences of your own, so that they reflect the

situations from the chapter.

Ex. 3. Give Russian equivalents to these words and expressions from Chapter

10:

to give a hand

ill-tempered

spoonful

dim-lit

to sit up late

crockery

pious

83

Use these words and expressions in the following sentences in their correct

form:

1. The doctor told me to take a _________ of syrup every 3 hours.

2. He was so ______________ that nobody wanted to deal with him.

3. He found a vent for his anger in smashing the _____________.

4. If you need some help, just tell me and I’ll __________ you ________.

5. Being a __________ family man, he was above suspicion for the detective.

6. You really shouldn’t __________________ as you’ll have to get up really

early tomorrow.

7. The girl was sitting in a dark, ______________ room, trying to read the

address, written on the envelope.


Ex. 1. Guess and choose the right the meaning of these words and

expressions from Chapter 10 in bold. Then consult a dictionary to check.

1. I had been told to stand where I was, and wait till the canvas came to me, and

Montmorency and I stood there and waited both as good as gold.

We were a) very good, obedient

b) very polite, with good manners

2. It said: “Give us a hand there, can’t you, you cuckoo… when you see we are

both being suffocated, you dummy!”

The phrase means that a) the person behaves like a cuckoo bird

b) the person is crazy

84

3. “Oh, I’m sorry, old chap; I hope I haven’t hurt you”.

The phrase means that a) it is informal address to a person

b) the person is old

4. “Well, I’m going to chuck him out,” replied Joe.

Joe is going to a) throw him away

b) beat him

5. I got quite cross with them after a bit, and told them what I thought of them.

I a) got quite angry with them

b) behaved in a very rude way

Ex. 2. Look at the extract from Chapter 10. How many words with the suffix

–less does the author use?

After hot muffins, it says, “Be dull and soulless, like a beast of the field—a

brainless animal, with listless eye, unlit by any ray of fancy, or of hope, or fear, or

love, or life.” And after brandy, taken in sufficient quantity, it says, “Now, come,

fool, grin and tumble, that your fellow-men may laugh—drivel in folly, and splutter in

senseless sounds, and show what a helpless ninny is poor man whose wit and will are

drowned, like kittens, side by side, in half an inch of alcohol.”

Substitute all adjectives with suffix –less with their synonyms from Ex. 1 b)

Vocabulary work. Does the extract sound more interesting/ emotional/ gripping?

85

Does it produce more effect on you as the reader? Why did the author decide to

choose the words with this suffix?

Ex. 3. Read these sentences from Chapter 10. What stylistic device does the

author use?

a) He, of course, made frantic struggles for freedom—the birthright of every

Englishman,—and, in doing so (I learned this afterwards), knocked over

George; and then George, swearing at Harris, began to struggle too, and

got himself entangled and rolled up.

b) After a cup of tea (two spoonsful for each cup, and don’t let it stand more

than three minutes), it says to the brain, “Now, rise, and show your strength.

Be eloquent, and deep, and tender…”

c) They had a very jolly evening, and sat up late, and, by the time they came to go

to bed, they (this was when George’s father was a very young man) were

slightly jolly, too.

What additional information do we receive from the part in brackets? Does it

make us understand the text more thoroughly? Is the device typical for the author’s

style of writing?

Ex. 4. At the end of Chapter 10, the author started speaking about his

emotional state after seeing the beauty of the Night. Why do you think the words

like Night, Presence, Pain and Sorrow are written with capital letters? What

qualities do they possess? Find the example in this part where an inanimate object

is described like a human.

Ex. 5. Retell the situation with the kettle from Chapter 10 in your own words

from the 1st person singular.

86

Start with:

I wanted to put the kettle on to boil…

Use:

to pretend to take no notice of…

to wait for it…

to go away…

“I don’t want any tea…”

shouldn’t look around…

to overhear…

to boil over…

a harmless bit of trickery…

87


PRE-READING


a) What time do you usually get up in the morning? Do you have enough time to

get to school/ to work? Have you ever overslept and important event? Why?

b)

c) Do you know how to cook? Have you ever cooked breakfast for your family?

Did they like it?

Ex. 2. Name three most dramatic episodes in Russian history. Why were they

important?

Ex. 3. Do you know these historical personalities/terms/ places/ dates? Use

reference books to help you.

Oliver Cromwell

King John

Richard

Magna Charta

June, 1215

Barons

Ex. 4. Try to match the military and civil service ranks on the left, which

existed in the 13th

century England, with their Russian equivalents on the right.

Then check with the dictionary if you were right. What situation do you think the

author will describe, using this vocabulary?

88

1. Bowman a. Алебардщик

2. Soldier b. Оруженосец

3. Pikeman c. Копьеносец

4. Lord d. Вояка

5. Baron e. Лучник

6. Trooper f. Барон

7.Spearman g. Всадник

8. Knight h. Феодал

9. Billman / Halbertman i. Солдат

10. Sentinel j. Рыцарь

11. Squire k. Копейщик

12. Horseman l. Часовой

Ex. 5. Try to guess the meaning of the following words and expressions.

Then check with the dictionary:

- easy chair

- to give vent to

- fish-kettle

- gas-stove

- chessboard

- to compromise

- scrambled eggs

- market place

- townsfolk

-bright-decked

-war-horse

Ex. 6. Can you guess the part of speech of the following words? Check their

meaning with the dictionary.

89

cussedness

scuttle

dilapidated

scuttleful

hitcher

harassing (work)

tempestuous

stupendous

executioner

honeyed (words)

ponderous

breathless

Ex. 7. Study the following words and expressions from Chapter 11.

into the bargain ['bɑːgɪn] – кроме того, в придачу

shutters, n ['ʃʌtəz] – ставни

to seize, v [siːz] - схватить, хватать

to anathematize, v [ə'næθəmətaɪz] - предавать анафеме, проклинать (книжн.)

regulation flip-flop approaching – приближающееся шаркание

come out for a stroll [strəul] – выходить на прогулку

penal servitude [,piːnl'səːvɪtjuːd] – каторжные работы

to revel in smth, v ['rev(ə)l] – получать удовольствие от ч-л, наслаждаться

ч-л

precedence, n ['presɪd(ə)n(t)s] – первенство, превосходство

to relish, v ['relɪʃ] – 1) наслаждаться, 2)одобрять

to splutter, v ['splʌtə] – разбрызгивать, говорить быстро и бессвязно

by Jove! (восклицание, выражающее удивление, досаду и т. п.) - ей-богу!

боже мой!; боже милостивый! вот тебе на! ч ёрт побери!

to have the pluck [plʌk] to do smth – иметь мужество/смелость/отвагу

сделать ч-л

driveling, adj ['drɪv(ə)lɪŋ] – несущий чепуху, выживший из ума

yacht, n [jɔt] - яхта

to pine away, v [paɪn] – чахнуть

feat, n [fiːt] - подвиг

to scald, v [skɔːld] - обваривать, ошпаривать, обжигать

90

homespun, adj ['həumspʌn] – домотканый, из домотканой материи

woe, n [wəu] - горе, напасть, несчастье

plaintiff, n ['pleɪntɪf] - истец

to bellow, v ['beləu] - орать; вопить, рычать (о человеке)

to roister, v ['rɔɪstə] - бесчинствовать, кутить, бражничать

to shed a shadow ['ʃædəu] – ронять тень

uncouth, adj [ʌn'kuːθ] - грубый, неотёсанный

wench, n [wen(t)ʃ] - девица, девчонка, девка (о девушке, молодой

женщине)

jest, n [ʤest] - острота, шутка

jibe , n jibe I [ʤaɪb] - насмешка, издёвка

swain, n [sweɪn] - деревенский парень; сельский житель, пастух,

to muster, v ['mʌstə] – собирать, созывать, организовывать

mercenary, n ['mɜːs(ə)n(ə)rɪ] - наемник

to hover, v ['hɔvə] – парить, нависать (об угрозе)

clamour, n ['klæmə] - шум, крик, ор

yestereve, adv [,jestə’i:v] – намедни, накануне вечером

hoof, n [huːf] (hooves , hoofs) - копыто

to cast a glance – бросить быстрый взгляд

flank, n [flæŋk] - фланг

in the midst - посреди

to dismount, v ['dɪs'maunt] - спешиваться, слезать (напр., с лошади)

to rue, v [ruː] – раскаиваться, сожалеть

to thwart, v [θwɔːt] – мешать, расстраивать, разрушать (напр., планы)

sword-hilt, n ['sɔːdˌhɪlt] – эфес (шпаги)

to cleave, v [kliːv] - раскалывать

to lay a cornerstone ['kɔːnəstəun] – заложить краеугольный камень

(основание, фундамент)

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Ex. 1. Skim Chapter 11 and put these events in the order they take place in

the chapter:

a) Friends wake up Harris

b) It’s George’s shirt, not J’s

c) J. and George both wake up early

d) Harris makes scrambled eggs for breakfast

e) Some episodes of British history

f) J. decides to have a swim

g) How George once woke up too early

Ex. 2. Read Chapter 11 again and answer the questions:

1. What happened to George once he forgot to wind his watch? What rule did he

set to himself after that case?

2. How did the friends wake up Harris?

3. How did the three men and their dog perceive the idea of a swim in the

morning? How did J. dare to take the plunge? What did his friends say about

it?

4. Why did J. find the situation with the shirt funny?

5. What happened when Harris was cooking scrambled eggs? How did Harris

explain it?

6. What episodes from English history did the three friends think about? Who

were Richard and King John from J’s imagination? Why was Magna Charta

important for English history?

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VOCABULARY WORK

Ex. 1. Complete the table with possible word forms:

N V Adj

1.

2.

conduct

care

judge

sound

swear

force

tempest

execute

harass

honey

breath

laugh

1.

2.

serve

tempting

Which word has a different meaning when it is used as a different part of

speech?

Ex. 2. Translate the following word combinations from Russian into English

using the words from ex. 1. Consult a dictionary, if necessary.

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Давать клятву

Каторжные работы

Заманчивое предложение

Хорошее поведение

Убедительный довод

Служить в армии

Достичь компромисса

Заботиться о ком-либо

Целый и невредимый

Буйный характер

Политическое преследование

Вызывать смех

Судить по внешности

Затаить дыхание

Сладкие речи

Ex. 3. Match these expressions with their Russian equivalents.

to come out for a stroll разразиться смехом

penal servitude казаться заманчивым

to seem tempting выходить из себя

to settle the matter выйти на прогулку

to burst out laughing уладить дело, урегулировать

вопрос

to lose one’s temper питание и проживание, пансион

to roar with laughter каторжные работы

to be famous for покатываться со смеху

board and lodging быть известным (чем-либо)

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Ex. 4. Translate the sentences from Russian into English, paying attention to

the underlined words. Use the phrases to help you.

1. После того, как мы нашли место питания и проживания, мы оставили

чемоданы в комнате и решили выйти на прогулку.

After we had found…

2. Он был известен тем, что был отправлен на каторжные работы в

наказание за преступление.

He was ….

3. Думаю, нам стоит урегулировать это дело путем переговоров.

I think we should…

4. Идея отдохнуть еще пару дней казалась заманчивой.

The idea of having…

5. Дети покатывались со смеху, учитель потерял терпение и выгнал их из

класса.

When the children were…

6. Мы оба разразились смехом, когда услышали причину неудачи.

We both …

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Ex. 1. Tell the story of George when we woke up too early (before he met a

policeman), from George’s point of view. Use these expressions to help you:

- it was still very dark

- it was a quarter past eight

- sprang out of bed

- had a cold bath

- washed

- dressed

- seized the umbrella

- a quarter of a mile

- felt strange

- no shops open

Ex. 2. What stylistic device are all the four underlined parts – metaphor,

comparison or epithet? Note down all different ways the author used to express his

idea.

It was horribly lonesome and dismal, and all the policemen he met regarded

him with undisguised suspicion, and turned their lanterns on him and followed him

about, and this had such an effect upon him at last that he began to feel as if he really

had done something, and he got to slinking down the by-streets and hiding in dark

doorways when he heard the regulation flip-flop approaching.

Of course, this conduct made the force only more distrustful of him than ever,

and they would come and rout him out and ask him what he was doing there; and

96

when he answered, “Nothing,” he had merely come out for a stroll (it was then four

o’clock in the morning), they looked as though they did not believe him, and two

plain-clothes constables came home with him to see if he really did live where he had

said he did

It was bitterly cold. The wind cut like a knife.

And out from the fields around, glitter the faint lights of more distant camps, as

here some great lord’s followers lie mustered, and there false John’s French

mercenaries hover like crouching wolves without the town.

Can you recognize any other stylistic devices there?

Ex. 3. Read this definition of Irony from Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

a) the use of words that mean the opposite of what you really think especially in

order to be funny

b) a situation that is strange or funny because things happen in a way that seems

to be the opposite of what you expected

Then read the following extract about scrambled eggs from Chapter 11. Do

you feel the narrator’s irony? How does he achieve ironic effect? Underline all

words and phrases where, in your opinion, the narrator is showing irony.

We did not know what scrambled eggs were, and we fancied that it must be some Red

Indian or Sandwich Islands sort of dish that required dances and incantations for its

proper cooking. Montmorency went and put his nose over it once, and the fat

spluttered up and scalded him, and then he began dancing and cursing. Altogether it

97

was one of the most interesting and exciting operations I have ever witnessed.

George and I were both quite sorry when it was over.

The result was not altogether the success that Harris had anticipated. There seemed

so little to show for the business. Six eggs had gone into the frying-pan, and all that

came out was a teaspoonful of burnt and unappetizing looking mess.

Ex. 4. What is the general tone of the part about King John in Chapter 11?

Is it cheerful or sad, optimistic or pessimistic, sarcastic or sympathetic, aggressive

or lyrical? What mood does it bring you in? What words/ phrases make you feel so?

98


PRE-READING


1. Have you ever shared a room/ a flat with your friends? Did you feel

comfortable? Do you have any problems when you share your room with

somebody else?

2. Have you ever stayed in a hotel during the peak season? Were there many

people? What difficulties did it cause for travelers?

Ex. 2. Study the pronunciation of these proper names. Do you know what

they were famous for? Study reference books to help you.

King John

Henry VIII

Anne Boleyn

Edward the Confessor

Earl Godwin

Ex. 3. Study the following words and word combinations from Chapter 12

and try to guess their meaning. Check with the dictionary. Can you predict what

the chapter will be about?

to spoon

to court

inn

honeysuckle

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a landlord

a heavenly messenger

a spoonful of mustard

a tin of pineapple

glorious Nature

Ex. 3. Guess the meaning of the following words, then check with the

dictionary:

to moon round

up-river

to encompass

a vacant bed

a billiard-room

a bargeman

a beer-shop

a beer-can

a pocket-knife

unearthly

snobby

fishing-punt

to knock somebody off

Ex. 4. Study these words from chapter 12.

to conjure up, v ['kʌnʤə ʌp] - вызывать

priory, n ['praɪə rɪ] - маленький монастырь

to recall, v [rɪ'kɔːl] – вспоминать, воскрешать в памяти

to decline, v [dɪ'klaɪn] – отклонять, вежливо отказываться

to hold in thrall [θrɔːl]– удерживать в рабстве

to march off, v [mɑːʧ əf] - выступать, выходить; выводить войска

to recollect, v [ˌrek(ə)'lekt] – вспоминать, припоминать

conservatory, n [kən'sɜːvətrɪ] - оранжерея, теплица, зимний сад

wretched, adj ['reʧɪd] - бедный, несчастный

to edge, v [eʤ] - продвигаться незаметно

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to slip out, v [slɪp əut] - выскальзывать

to stroll, v [strəul] - прогуливаться, бродить, гулять

to mutter, v ['mʌtə] - бормотать

to bill and coo, v [bɪl] [ku:] – ворковать, ласкаться

to blush, v [blʌʃ] - краснеть, заливаться румянцем от смущения, стыда

to snatch up, v [snæʧ ʌp]- схватить

to rough it [rʌf] - мириться с лишениями, обходиться без (обычных)

удобств

to stagger, v ['stægə] – шататься, покачиваться, сомневаться, колебаться

to pant, v [pænt] - задыхаться, часто и тяжело дышать

to disguise, v [dɪs'gaɪz] – изменять внешность, маскироваться

limekiln, n ['laɪmkɪln] - печь для обжига извести

truckle bed, n ['trʌklˌbed] - выдвижная кровать

to tug, v [tʌg] - тащить, дёргать с усилием, тянуть

reckless, adj ['rekləs] - необдуманный, безрассудный; опрометчивый,

беспечный

shanty, n ['ʃæntɪ] - хижина, лачуга, хибарка

imposition, n [ˌɪmpə'zɪʃ(ə)n] – обман, мошенничество

to cast a gloom [kɑːst] [gluːm]– опечалить кого-л., омрачить что-л.

weird, adj [wɪəd] - странный, чудной

hideousness, n ['hɪdɪəsnəs] – уродство, нечто страшное, ужасное

dent, n [dent] - вмятина, вогнутое или вдавленное место

backwater, n ['bækˌwɔːtə] - заводь, запруда

to steer, v [stɪə] - править рулём, управлять (автомобилем и т. п.) ; вести

(судно)

to throb, v [θrɔb] – сильно биться, пульсировать

to moor, v [muə ], [mɔː] – причаливаться, пришвартоваться, вставать на

якорь

vexed, adj [vekst] - раздосадованный

discontented, adj [ˌdɪskən'tentɪd] - недовольный, неудовлетворённый

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substantial, adj [səb'stæn(t)ʃ(ə)l] - крепкий, прочный, солидный

grateful, adj ['greɪtf(ə)l ], [-ful] - благодарный; признательный

commonplace, adj ['kɔmənpleɪs] - банальный, избитый, неоригинальный,

ничем не примечательный, заурядный (о людях)

READING AND COMPREHENTION

Ex. 1.Read Chapter 12 and say, what events took place in the chapter at these

places:

Magna Charta Island

Buckinghamshire

Kent

St. Albans

Old Windsor

Datchet

Manor House

Maidenhead

Marlow

Ex. 2. Read Chapter 12 again and answer these questions:

1. Why did Magna Charta Island get its name? What famous historical figure

spent his time there?

2. How does the author describe the situation with the couple courting?

3. Why didn’t the narrator and Harris like the first two hotels in Datchet? Could

they find an alternative? Why/why not? How did they manage to solve the

problem?

4. What product did the three men most want when they lunched near Monkey

Island?

5. What tinned food did the 3 men had a trouble opening?

6. What incident happened when the 3 men were sailing at sunset?

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VOCABULARY WORK

Ex. 1. Guess the meaning of the underlined idioms from the context. Choose

from a, b or c.

1. You are afraid to poke your nose into any room in the house now.

a) You are afraid to hurt your nose.

b) You are afraid to look into the room.

c) You are afraid to touch something with your nose.

2. And they would go to Kent, and the first thing they would see in Kent, when

they got there, would be Henry and Anne fooling round Hever Castle.

a) to play around

b) to do stupid things

c) to look like a fool.

3. We went a goodish way without coming across any more hotels and then we

met a man…

a) a long way

b) we went along with good people

c) our way was not very good

4. Harris said he would have given worlds for mustard too.

a) he would have paid a lot of money

b) he would have given nothing

c) he would have given all he had

103

5. While they were dressing their wounds…

a) while they were recovering from their wounds.

b) while they were putting on their clothes

c) while they were putting a bandage on their wounds.

6. Then, after tea, the wind veers round, and you have to pull hard in its teeth all

the way home.

a) the wind changes

b) the wind becomes stronger

c) the wind goes down.

Ex. 2. What suffixes were used to make these adjectives from Chapter 12?

What nous/ verbs were they derived from?

E.g. reckless – (-less) – to reck

glorious

prosaic

thoughtless

civilized

stiffish

uppish

fearful

muddy

thoughtful

mystic

scandalous

funny

Ex. 3. Put the adjectives from Ex. 2 into the groups according to their suffix.

What meaning does each suffix have? Add two more words with each suffix.

104

- ic

- (o)us

- y

- less

- ish

- ful

- ed

Ex. 4. Make word combinations from an adjective + a noun .

glorious theory

prosaic house

popular present

thoughtl

ess

community

civilized past

summer young folk

Match Russian equivalents to these word combinations.

славное прошлое

безрассудная молодежь

летний домик, дача

цивилизованное сообщество

прозаическое настоящее

популярная теория

Ex. 5. Use the following words and expressions in the sentences in their

correct form (first, decide which part of speech is necessary in each case):

to recollect

to mutter

to disguise

to stroll

105

grateful

thoughtful

reckless

wretched

substantial

vexed

1. I _____________ that the weather was warm, we were ____________ through

the park.

2. He felt so ___________ because he thought he might never see her again.

3. His __________ driving caused __________ damage to the neighborhood.

4. It was a really ___________ plan. The prisoners escaped because they had

____________ themselves in guard’s clothing.

5. He was __________ something to himself, but nobody could understand it.

6. They were deeply __________ to learn of the failure.

7. I am __________ to you for your help.


Ex. 1. Look at these extracts from Chapter 12. Answer the questions in

brackets. What stylistic device is used in all these examples?

a) I don’t know how many worlds there may be in the universe, but anyone who

had brought me a spoonful of mustard at that precise moment could have had

them all.

(Would the narrator really give the worlds for the spoonful of mustard or is it

just the figure of speech?)

b) The people at the Manor House did not wait to hear us talk. The landlady met

us on the doorstep with the greeting that we were the fourteenth party she had

turned away within the last hour and a half. As for our meek suggestions of

106

stables, billiard-room, or coal-cellars, she laughed them all to scorn: all these

nooks had been snatched up long ago.

(Could the Manor House owner have been asked for a place to stay 14 times in

an hour and a half, or is it just an exaggeration?)

c) The people at the beer-shop were rude. They merely laughed at us. There were

only three beds in the whole house, and they had seven single gentlemen and

two married couples sleeping there already.

(Could three beds be occupied by seven gentlemen and two married couples, or

is the narrator exaggerating?)

Is this device typical for the narrator’s manner of writing?

Ex. 2. Look at these extracts from Chapter 12. Underline all repeated

structures in the sentences. What stylistic device is used here?

a) Her lady friend’s rooms were let. From there we were recommended to No. 27.

No. 27 was full, and sent us to No. 32, and 32 was full.

b) We are very fond of pine-apple, all three of us. We looked at the picture on the

tin; we thought of the juice. We smiled at one another, and Harris got a spoon

ready.

c) We beat it out flat; we beat it back square; we battered it into every form

known to geometry—but we could not make a hole in it. Then George went at

it, and knocked it into a shape, so strange, so weird, so unearthly in its wild

hideousness, that he got frightened and threw away the mast. Then we all three

sat round it on the grass and looked at it.

What effect is achieved by the author by using this device?

Ex. 3. Read this extract from Chapter 12. Pay attention to the words in bold.

107

At that moment an angel came by in the disguise of a small boy (and I cannot

think of any more effective disguise an angel could have assumed), with a can of beer

in one hand, and in the other something at the end of a string, which he let down on

to every flat stone he came across, and then pulled up again, this producing a

peculiarly unattractive sound, suggestive of suffering.

Did the boy look like an angel or was he an angel himself for the narrator?

In the following two paragraphs (from “We asked this…” to “to bring on the

luggage”) find all the expressions, which are associated with the heaven, angels

etc. Does the narrator use this topic seriously or ironically?

Ex. 4.Describe the situation with opening the tin of pineapple from the point

of view of one of the 3 men. Use the following words and expressions:

- to be fond of pineapple

- get a spoon ready

- a tin-opener

- to look for

- use a pocket-knife

- cut himself

- use a hitcher

- to get mad

- to use a mast to open a tin

- not to succeed

108


PRE-READING


1. What is the most picturesque place you have ever visited? Is it famous?

Describe it.

2. Do you have a pet at home? Do you like cats or dogs more? Why?

3. Do you buy lots of things when you go shopping? Do you sometimes buy

things you don’t need?

Ex. 2. Look at the plan of Chapter 13, made by Jerome K. Jerome. What do

you think the chapter will be about?

Ex. 3. Guess the meaning of the following words and expressions from

Chapter 13. Then check with the dictionary.

king-maker

tombs and monuments

to rise at midnight to mass

a newsagent

a lock-keeper

an ordinary respectable man

bed-chamber

earthly

to encamp

to nestle

hall-porter

Ex. 4. Jerome K. Jerome mentions 3 different types of boats in Chapter 13:

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steamboat

houseboat

double-sculling skiff

Which of them do you think is bigger / faster / can take more passengers?

Ex. 5. The author will mention several breeds of dogs in the chapter. Can

you guess their Russian equivalents? Check with the dictionary if you were right.

a mastiff

a collie

a retriever

a boarhound

a poodle

a bull-dog

a Yorkshire tyke

a fox-terrier

Which of these words is not really the name of a breed?

What breed is the biggest? the friendliest? the most vicious?

Which breed do you prefer most?

Ex. 6. Study these words and expressions from Chapter 13:

to bustle, v ['bʌsl] - торопиться, спешить; суетиться

nook, n [nuk] - укромный уголок, закоулок; бухточка

quaint, adj [kweɪnt] - странный, чудной, необычный, своеобразный

ere, prep [ɛə] - до, перед, прежде чем

meadow, n ['medəu] - луг; низина

path, n [pɑːθ] - тропинка; дорожка

to wind, v [waɪnd] (wound) - виться, извиваться, изгибаться

glade, n [gleɪd] - поляна, опушка

vista, n ['vɪstə] – аллея, просека

fray, n [freɪ] - драка, стычка; ссора, перепалка

110

tapestry, n ['tæpɪstrɪ] - гобелен

motto, n ['mɔtəu] - девиз, лозунг

bogus, adj ['bəugəs] поддельный, подложный, фальшивый

irreverent, adj [ɪ'rev(ə)r(ə)nt] непочтительный, неуважительный Syn:

disrespectful

jester, n ['ʤestə] – шутник, шут

reveller, n ['rev(ə)lə] - бражник, гуляка, кутила

cowl, n [kaul] - монашеская сутана с капюшоном; широкий капюшон

flesh, n [fleʃ] – мясо, плоть

bare, adj [bɛə] – голый, пустой

pandemonium, n [ˌpændə'məunɪəm] – ад, преисподняя; столпотворение,

скандал

din, n [dɪn] - шум, грохот, гул

in the midst [mɪdst] – в середине

riot, n ['raɪət] - бунт; восстание, мятеж

to gaze, v [geɪz] - пристально глядеть; вглядываться; уставиться

savage, adj ['sævɪʤ] - дикий; жестокий, злой, свирепый

prey, n [preɪ] – добыча, жертва

victim, n ['vɪktɪm] - жертва

to trot, v [trɔt] – идти рысью, спешить, торопиться

assassin, n [ə'sæsɪn] - убийца, террорист

pluck, n [plʌk] – смелость, отвага, бесстрашие

in the rear [rɪə] – с тыла

landing stage, n ['lændɪŋˌsteɪʤ] - плавучая пристань, дебаркадер

bosom companion ['buzəm] [kəm'pænjən] – близкий товарищ

clay, n [kleɪ] – зд. - трубка

blatant, adj ['bleɪt(ə)nt] – вульгарный, крикливый, вопиющий, очевидный

knack, n [næk] - умение, сноровка, мастерство

to yearn, v [jɜːn] 1) (yearn for / after) - томиться, тосковать по

hatchet, n ['hæʧɪt] - топор, топорик, большой нож, резак

111

bow, n [bau] – лук (оружие)

arrow, n ['ærəu] - стрела

homicide, n ['hɔmɪsaɪd] - убийство, человекоубийство

monstrosity, n [mɔn'strɔsətɪ] - чудовищность; безобразность, уродство

foolhardy, adj ['fuːlˌhɑːdɪ] - необдуманно смелый, безрассудно храбрый;

авантюрный

backwater, n ['bækˌwɔːtə] - заводь, запруда; болото

torture, n ['tɔːʧə] - пытка

riparian, adj [raɪ'pɛərɪən] - прибрежный, находящийся на берегу,

относящийся к берегу

boor, n [bɔː ], [buə] - грубый, невоспитанный человек, хам, грубиян,

невежа

to discard, v [dɪs'kɑːd] – отказываться от (взглядов)

gully, n ['gʌlɪ] - овражек; канава, ров

to conjecture, v [kən'ʤekʧə] – строить догадки, полагать

calumny, n ['kæləmnɪ] клевета, клеветническое обвинение


Ex. 1. Put these events in the correct order to make the plan of the chapter.

a) Cistercian monks. Life in silence in a picturesque place.

b) Shopping at Marlow.

c) Montmorency meets a cat.

d) Marlow. Bisham Abbey.

e) The steam launch.

f) The strange disappearance of the pie.

g) A story of a fox-terrier among other dogs.

h) Where to get water.

112

Ex. 2. Read the chapter again and answer the questions:

1. What does Marlow look like? What kind of town is it?

2. What was Medmenham Abbey famous for?

3. How does Montmorency behave when he sees a cat? What happened between

Montmorency and a cat that morning?

4. What story about a fox-terrier’s behaviour does the author tell his readers?

5. How many things did the three men buy in the shops of Marlow? How many

people were carrying their purchases?

6. Why does the narrator hate steam-launches?

7. What happened when the George asked the man at Hambledon Lock for some

water?

8. What happened once when the three men tried to drink some water from the

river?

9. Why did George and the narrator receive a shock at the end of the chapter?

VOCABULARY WORK

Ex. 1. Put the suffixes into the table according to the part of speech they

make (noun, adjective, verb, adverb).

- ty / -(a)tion / –able / -y / -ly / -ness/ -ance

Noun Adjective Verb Adverb

Suffix(es)

Examples

Put the following words into the table, according to their parts of speech:

113

Congregation, haughty, ostentatious, fraternity, bumptiousness,

indiscriminately, appreciable, justifiable, annoyance, aggravation.

Match the words above with their Russian equivalents:

Ухудшение, заслуживающий оправдания, показной, братство,

высокомерный, самонадеянность, собрание, заметный, неразборчиво, досада.

Ex. 2. Match the following shops mentioned in Chapter 13 with their

functions:

baker’s sells sweets

cheesemonger’s sells fruit and vegetables

butcher’s sells fruit

confectioner’s sells cheese

greengrocer’s sells meat

fruiterer sells bread

Which shops did the three men buy these things in?

- a bushel of peas

- a beefsteak pie

- bacon

- eggs

- jam

- a leg of mutton

- a few cabbages

- a bottle of lime-juice

- fruit

- cakes

- ten pounds of potatoes

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Ex. 3. Match the adjectives and nouns to make word combinations from

Chapter 13. Translate the word combinations into Russian.

grim sin

rushing cat

original style

canine life

vigorous animal

disreputable-

looking

nature

stray wind

evil dog

sinewy-looking instinct

Ex. 4. Translate the following words and combinations into Russian and use

them in the sentences in their correct form.

to bustle

to lack pluck

bare

indiscriminately

savage (adj)

grim

disreputable

stray

1. I can’t say I _______________, but the incident last night was really scary for

me.

2. She looked round her tiny _________ room – there was so much to be bought.

3. A _________ dog attached itself to James in the street, so he had to feed it.

4. A _________ storm, which took place last Thursday, brought a lot of damage.

5. The flower market usually ___________ with shoppers.

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6. When he lost his job, his future looked _________.

7. I wouldn’t recommend to deal with him – he’s a man with __________

character.

8. People shouldn’t use chemicals in agriculture ____________ - it may lead to

unfavourable consequences.


Ex. 1. Guess the meaning of the following words and expressions from the

context, choose the variant which you think is the most appropriate. Explain your

choice an try to give good Russian translation to the underlined expressions.

1. We got up tolerably early on the Monday morning at Marlow, and went for

a bathe before breakfast; and, coming back, Montmorency made an awful

ass of himself. The only subject on which Montmorency and I have any

serious difference of opinion is cats.

a) Montmorency behaved stupidly

b) Montmorency behaved like a donkey

c) Montmorency behaved well

2. Montmorency gave a cry of joy—the cry of a stern warrior who sees his

enemy given over to his hands—the sort of cry Cromwell might have uttered

when the Scots came down the hill—and flew after his prey.

a) Montmorency was crying

b) Montmorency was happy

c) Montmorency was sad

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3. Montmorency went for that poor cat at the rate of twenty miles an hour; but

the cat did not hurry up—did not seem to have grasped the idea that its life

was in danger.

a) the cat did not understand the idea

b) it seemed the cat did not understand the idea

c) it seemed that the cat understood the idea

4. George was our spokesman. He put on a winning smile, and said…

a) George put on some clothes

b) George started smiling

c) George stopped smiling

5. George said he didn’t want any tea, and emptied his cup into the water.

Harris did not feel thirsty, either, and followed suit.

a) Harris followed me

b) Harris did the same as George

c) Harris drank his cup of tea.

6. With a sigh, we turned our eyes once more towards the spot where Harris

and the pie had last been seen on earth; and there, as our blood froze in our

veins and our hair stood up on end, we saw Harris’s head…

a) we were very afraid

b) we were very brave

c) our hairstyle changed

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Ex. 2. Look at this extract from Chapter 13. What epithets tell you that it was

“a disreputable-looking cat”?

His victim was a large black Tom. I never saw a larger cat, nor a more

disreputable-looking cat. It had lost half its tail, one of its ears, and a fairly

appreciable proportion of its nose. It was a long, sinewy-looking animal. It had a

calm, contented air about it.

Ex. 3. Read the following extract from Chapter 13. How many sentences does

the author use? Why? What effect does it help to produce?

And in the midst of the riot that sweet young lady returned, and snatched up

that sweet little dog of hers (he had laid the tyke up for a month, and had on the

expression, now, of a new-born lamb) into her arms, and kissed him, and asked him if

he was killed, and what those great nasty brutes of dogs had been doing to him; and

he nestled up against her, and gazed up into her face with a look that seemed to say:

“Oh, I’m so glad you’ve come to take me away from this disgraceful scene!”

Ex. 4. Why did the author use direct speech in the extract below? Change

direct speech into indirect. Does it produce the same effect? Which variant do you

like more?

THE CAT: “Can I do anything for you?”

MONTMORENCY: “No—no, thanks.”

THE CAT: “Don’t you mind speaking, if you really want anything, you know.”

MONTMORENCY (backing down the High Street): “Oh, no—not at all—certainly—

don’t you trouble. I—I am afraid I’ve made a mistake. I thought I knew you. Sorry I

disturbed you.”

THE CAT: “Not at all—quite a pleasure. Sure you don’t want anything, now?”

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MONTMORENCY (still backing): “Not at all, thanks—not at all—very kind of you.

Good morning.”

THE CAT: “Good-morning.”

Ex. 5. Read the following extract from Chapter 13. How many items did the 3

men buy? How many conjunctions (“and”) did the author use?

He said they were easy enough to cook, and that he would see to that; so we

got ten pounds of potatoes, a bushel of peas, and a few cabbages. We got a beefsteak

pie, a couple of gooseberry tarts, and a leg of mutton from the hotel; and fruit, and

cakes, and bread and butter, and jam, and bacon and eggs, and other things we

foraged round about the town for.

What do we call this stylistic device? What effect does it produce?

Ex. 6. Describe the situation when the three men asked for water from the

lock-keeper’s point of view. Make up the replies and questions and use the

following:

put on/winning smile

take as much as/want

where/keep it

the same place/ behind

there’s enough

can’t drink a river

what I/drink for the last 15 years

Ex. 7. Retell the case at the Haymarket Stores (when the narrator watches a

fox-terrier among other dogs). Start with the following:

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Once I was in the lobby of…

Make sure you use:

- breeds of dogs

- adjectives (patient, thoughtful, silent, haughty etc.)

- verb + adverb combinations (sleep dreamlessly, attack vigorously, begin to

fight immediately, to fight indiscriminately)

- other necessary vocabulary.

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PRE-READING


1. Are you good at cooking? What is your favourite dish to cook?

2. Have you ever tried to invent a new dish that you have never done before?

Were you successful?

3. Do you play any musical instrument? Have you ever seen the banjo or

bagpipes? Describe how they work. Which countries use them as their national

instruments?

Ex. 2. Study the following proper names from Chapter 14. Which historical

or biblical events are these names linked to? Give the Russian equivalents for them.

Seven Sleepers

Saint George

Ex. 3. Look at the following proper names mentioned in the text. In which

way did these people contribute to the cultural heritage of Great Britain?

Alfred Tennyson

Charles Robert Leslie

John Evan Hodgson

Ex. 4. Guess the meaning of these words and expressions. Then check your

answers with a dictionary or reference book:

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Odds and ends

Beef

Peeling

Nutritious

Blood-curdling

To twang

Vision

Canvas

Babes in the Wood

Boiled bacon

Ex. 5. Guess the meaning of the verbs from the right column. Then try to

match the verbs given on the left and expressing a tone and manner of speaking

with their definitions given on the right:

1. to growl a. To cry or wail loudly, as in

pain, sorrow, or anger.

2. to roar b. To utter a loud, deep,

prolonged sound, especially in distress,

rage, or excitement.

3. to grunt c. To cry frantically and shrilly.

4. to howl d. To utter a deep guttural sound,

as a

hog does.

5. to shriek e. To emit a low guttural sound or

utterance; to speak in an angry or surly

manner.

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Ex. 6. Study the following words and expressions from Chapter 14:

drowsy ['drauzɪ] засыпающий, дремлющий; сонный

to nestle ['nesl] вить гнездо, устроиться в гнезде, уютно, удобно

устроиться, свернуться

retina ['retɪnə] сетчатка, сетчатая оболочка (глаза)

to bequeath [bɪ'kwiːð] завещать (движимость, деньги)

placid ['plæsɪd] безмятежный, мирный, спокойный, тихий

rustic ['rʌstɪk] деревенский, сельский

dismal ['dɪzməl] мрачный; унылый; гнетущий, тягостный

mortar ['mɔːtə] известковый раствор; строительный раствор

to smother ['smʌðə] душить, вызвать приступ удушья; задыхаться

dainty ['deɪntɪ] изящный, грациозный; изысканный, утончённый

quaint [kweɪnt] привлекательный своей оригинальностью или

старомодностью, причудливый, затейливый

skittishly ['skɪtɪʃlɪ] быстро, живо, легко, игриво

to overhaul [ˌəuvə'hɔːl] тщательно исследовать, изучать; проверять

remnants ['remnənt] остаток; остатки

to evince [ɪ'vɪn(t)s] ясно показывать; делать очевидным; выказывать,

проявлять; демонстрировать

to hamper ['hæmpə] препятствовать, мешать (чему-л.) ; затруднять,

стеснять движения

hackneyed ['hæknɪd] банальный, избитый; затасканный, неоригинальный

to splutter ['splætə] брызгать, разбрызгивать; расплёскивать

a prey [preɪ] добыча, предмет охоты, ловли

a spout [spaut] горлышко; носик (сосуда)

to cheeck [ʧiːk] нахальничать, говорить дерзости

to soothe [suːð] успокаивать, утешать; умиротворять; унимать

indignantly [ɪn'dɪgnəntlɪ] с негодованием, негодующе, возмущённо

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to retort [rɪ'tɔːt]резко возражать, парировать, отвечать на оскорбление или

обиду

feeble ['fiːbl] немощный, слабосильный, хилый

shriek [ʃriːk] пронзительный, резкий, дикий крик

to mouch ['mauʧ]попрошайничать, слоняться

to assault [ə'sɔːlt] атаковать, штурмовать, накидываться, набрасываться,

оскорблять;

to overdo [ˌəuvə'duː] перестараться, переусердствовать; переборщить


Ex.1. Read the chapter and say if these statements are True or False (T/F):

1) The travelers got out at Shiplake.

2) It was Harris’s idea to prepare a good and slap-up supper.

3) The travelers put all the food products and remnants had with them into the

Irish stew.

4) Potato-scrapping made them feel exhausted.

5) George was really good at playing the banjo.

6) Harris couldn’t hear George and J. shouting and didn’t fetch them at once

because he had had a fearful fight with thirty-two swans.

Ex. 2. Put the following sentences in the chronological order according to

the content of the text:

1. Shiplake is a pretty village, but it cannot be seen from the river, being upon the

hill.

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2. We had a discussion as to whether the rat should go in or not. Harris said that

he thought it would be all right, mixed up with the other things, and that every

little helped; but George stood up for precedent.

3. I found him in trouble, the next time I awoke, because he could not find his

socks.

4. We could not pass the whole night fighting policemen.

5. In the church is a memorial to Mrs. Sarah Hill, who bequeathed 1 pound

annually, to be divided at Easter, between two boys and two girls who “have

never been undutiful to their parents; who have never been known to swear or

to tell untruths, to steal, or to break windows.”

6. Montmorency had a fight with the kettle during tea-time, and came off a poor

second.

7. Mrs. P. used to come up and say she was very sorry—for herself, she liked to

hear him—but the lady upstairs was in a very delicate state, and the doctor was

afraid it might injure the child.

8. It seemed we had moored close to a swan’s nest, and, soon after George and I

had gone, the female swan came back, and kicked up a row about it.

9. WE caught a breeze, after lunch, which took us gently up past Wargrave and

Shiplake.

10. It seemed difficult to believe that the potato-scrapings in which Harris and I

stood, half smothered, could have come off four potatoes.

Ex. 3. Answer the questions after reading the chapter:

1) Which ingredients did the travelers put into the Irish stew?

2) How did Montmorency, who had demonstrated great interest in cooking,

decide to contribute to the process?

3) Which activity did George take up after the supper?

4) What did George and J. decide to do after the supper? What happened to Harris

when they were away?

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5) What was the cause of the travellers’ bad sleep after they had finally found the

fourth island and Harris pulled the boat to them?

VOCABULARY WORK

Ex.1. Find English equivalents to these words from Chapter 14:

Решётчатый

Гнездиться

Делать густым

Выудить

Острый

Плюнуть

Нервировать

Подходящий случай

Караульный

Шипение (свист)

Жить на широкую ногу

Тугонатянутый

Дать сдачи

Посадить в тюрьму

Ex.2. Match these adjectives and nouns to make word combinations. Use the

text to help you.

winding opportunity

awkward chance

splendid river

nutritious passage

fair yelp

gloomy music

blood-curdling stairs

divine gravy

Ex.3. Match the words from Chapter 14 with their definitions:

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1. to moor a. A slight swelling or lump.

2. a prey b. One, especially a grievance,

that is past.

3. a bump c. To secure a vessel or an aircraft

with lines or anchors.

4. potted d. To wander about aimlessly.

5.remnants e. Marked by ill temper.

6. disagreeble f. An animal hunted or caught for

food; a victim

7. to mouch g. To lose courage or become

demoralized.

8. to loose heart h. Something left over; a remainder.

9. bygone i. Preserved in a pot, can, or jar.

Ex.4. Put the following words / phrases into the gaps in the correct form:

cracked twanged waterrats undutiful inn Irish stew

1. In the church is a memorial to Mrs. Sarah Hill, who bequeathed 1 pound

annually, to be divided at Easter, between two boys and two girls who “have

never been _____ to their parents.”

2. It is a veritable picture of an old country _____ , with green, square courtyard

in front.

3. He said he would show us what could be done up the river in the way of

cooking, and suggested that, with the vegetables and the remains of the cold

beef and general odds and ends, we should make an ______ _______.

4. I fished out a couple of eggs that had got _____ , and put those in.

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5. He said he had never heard of _____ in Irish stew, and he would rather be on

the safe side, and not try experiments.

6. George thought the music might do him good—said music often soothed the

nerves and took away a headache; and he _____ two or three notes, just to

show Harris what it was like.

Ex.5. Translate the following sentences from Russian into English using the

words from the text given in brackets after the sentences. Then check up your

translation with the original sentences from the text.

1. Это самый волшебный уголок на реке. ( a nook)

2. Ничто так не пачкает человека, как чистка картофеля. ( a fellow, mess)

3. Джордж сказал, что в этом главное достоинство ирландского рагу: сразу

избавляешься от всего лишнего.(to get rid of)

4. И он бросился на бедный маленький чайник и схватил его за носик.( a

spout)

5. Его отец был с самого начала ярым противником этого дела и говорил о

нем безо всякой чуткости.(unfeelingly)

6. С Гаррисом творилось что-то странное. Это было нечто большее, чем

обычная усталость.(unaccountable strangeness)


Ex. 1. Do you remember which episodes the following words and phrases are

taken from:

Old country inn, bumps and warts and hollows, cold boiled bacon, hard-

working, respectable dog, to play the bagpipes, to assault a policeman, swan’s nest

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Ex.2. Read the passage describing Shiplake and Sonning. Find the epithets

that the author uses to show the atmosphere of these places.

Shiplake is a pretty village, but it cannot be seen from the river, being upon the

hill. Tennyson was married in Shiplake Church. The river up to Sonning winds in and

out through many islands, and is very placid, hushed, and lonely. Few folk, except at

twilight, a pair or two of rustic lovers, walk along its banks. ’Arry and Lord

Fitznoodle have been left behind at Henley, and dismal, dirty Reading is not yet

reached. It is a part of the river in which to dream of bygone days, and vanished

forms and faces, and things that might have been, but are not, confound them. We got

out at Sonning, and went for a walk round the village. It is the most fairy-like little

nook on the whole river. It is more like a stage village than one built of bricks and

mortar. Every house is smothered in roses, and now, in early June, they were bursting

forth in clouds of dainty splendour. If you stop at Sonning, put up at the “Bull,”

behind the church. It is a veritable picture of an old country inn, with green, square

courtyard in front, where, on seats beneath the trees, the old men group of an evening

to drink their ale and gossip over village politics; with low, quaint rooms and latticed

windows, and awkward stairs and winding passages.

How would you characterize the atmosphere described in the extract? Is it

lyrical/ poetical/ gloomy/ vivid?

Ex.3. The author used direct speeh in some of the episodes. Convert the given

passages into indirect speech. Which variant (direct or indirect speech) sounds

more expressive/ interesting/ lively? How does direct speech change our perception

of the text?

Passage A.

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“What’s he want to howl like that for when I’m playing?” George would

exclaim indignantly, while taking aim at him with a boot. “What do you want to play

like that for when he is howling?” Harris would retort, catching the boot. “You let

him alone. He can’t help howling. He’s got a musical ear, and your playing makes

him howl.”

Passage B.

“Don’t go to sleep, old man,” we said as we started. “Not much fear of that

while this stew’s on,” he grunted, as he pulled back to the island.

Passage C.

We passed Skiplake as the clock was striking the quarter to twelve; and then

George said, thoughtfully: “You don’t happen to remember which of the islands it

was, do you?” “No,” I replied, beginning to grow thoughtful too, “I don’t. How

many are there?” “Only four,” answered George. “It will be all right, if he’s

awake.” “And if not?” I queried; but we dismissed that train of thought.

Passage D.

“How many swans did you say there were?” asked George. “Thirty-two,”

replied Harris, sleepily. “You said eighteen just now,” said George. “No, I didn’t,”

grunted Harris; “I said twelve. Think I can’t count?”

Ex.4. Read Harris’s description of his battle with swans. What happened

during this episode? How many birds did he say there were? Did Harris exaggerate

the real amount or did he tell the truth?

130

Ex .5. Retell the episode about George playing the banjo from the point of

view of George. Use the following words and expressions:

- never learned to play

- never a success

- howl

- can’t help howling

- have a musical ear

- to postpone

- to be in a very delicate state

- complain to the police

- to lose heart in playing the banjo

Ex.5. Describe the episode with making an Irish stew from Montmorency’s

point of view. Use the following:

- to peel potatoes

- to make a fire

- the more they peeled, the more was left

- the size of a pea-nut

- remnants

- a water-rat

- nourishing

- nutritious

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PRE-READING

Ex. 1. Answer these questions before reading:

1. Are you fond of sports? What is your favourite sport?

2. What is your attitude to water sports? Have you ever tried to take up sailing,

rowing, rafting or panting?

3. Which physical and moral qualities are needed to do the above-mentioned

sports? Can you say that your character is strong enough to take them up?

Ex. 2. Study the following water activities from Chapter 15. Try to explain

the difference between them.

Punting

Rowing

Sailing

Rafting

Ex. 3. Look at the following words from the text and guess their meaning.

Which criteria help you to understand the meaning? Then check with a dictionary.

Simple-minded

A novice

Mono-syllabic

Nobility

Uppishness

Lagging

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Boom

A reef

Ex. 4. Study the following words and expressions from the text and study

them:

to partake, v [pɑː'teɪk] - отведать, съесть, выпить

dainty, n ['deɪntɪ] - деликатес, лакомство

to crave, v [kreɪv] - страстно желать, жаждать; тосковать (о чём-л.)

skulk, n [skʌlk] - бездельник

to compel, v [kəm'pel] - заставлять, вынуждать, принуждать

to superintend, v [,s(j)up(ə)in’tend] – наблюдать, контролировать, управлять

to retire, v [rɪ'taɪə] - уходить, удалиться (спать)

contented, adj [kən'tentɪd] - довольный, удовлетворённый

whiff, n[(h)wɪf] - клубы дыма, затяжка (от сигареты)

reprovingly, adv [rɪpru͟ːvɪŋlɪ] - с упрёком, укоризненно

to digest, v [daɪ'ʤest] - переваривать, усваивать

proprietor,n [prə'praɪətə] - собственник, владелец; обладатель, хозяин

to yearn, v [jɜːn] (yearn for / after) - томиться, тосковать по (кому-л. / чему-

л.) ; очень сильно хотеть (чего-л.)

superfluous, adj [s(j)uː'pɜːfluəs] - излишний, ненужный, избыточный,

чрезмерный

reluctant, adj [rɪ'lʌkt(ə)nt] - делающий что-л. с большой неохотой, по

принуждению; сопротивляющийся

stout, adj [staut] - полный, тучный, плотный (о телосложении)

spry, adj [spraɪ] - активный, живой, деятельный; подвижный; проворный,

расторопный

to swamp, v [swɔmp] - затопить, залить

to chuck, v [ʧʌk] - бросать; кидать; швырять

quaint, adj [kweɪnt] - привлекательный своей оригинальностью или

133


gentry, n ['ʤentrɪ] - джентри, нетитулованное мелкопоместное дворянство

nobility, n [nə'bɪlətɪ] - знатность 2) дворянство; родовая знать

nobility and gentry, n – титулованное и нетитулованное дворянство

fretful, adj ['fretf(ə)l ] - капризный, нетерпеливый; раздражительный

vehement, adj ['viːəmənt] - сильный; неистовый; страстный

striving, n ['straɪvɪŋ] - стремление; усилие

sublime, adj [sə'blaɪm] - величайший; совершенный, безупречный;

безукоризненный

equanimity, n [ˌekwə'nɪmətɪ ], [ˌiːkwə-] - невозмутимость, хладнокровие;

спокойствие; самообладание

ordeal, n [ɔː'diːl] - суровое испытание

to disentangle, v [ˌdɪsɪn'tæŋgl] - освобождать; развязывать, распутывать

to endeavour, v [ɪn'devə ], [en-] - пытаться, прилагать усилия, стараться

indignant, adj [ɪn'dɪgnənt] - негодующий, возмущённый

recovery, n [rɪ'kʌv(ə)rɪ] - возвращение весла в исходное положение, взмах

painter, n ['peɪntə] - (носовой) фалинь (косой треугольный парус, который

ставится впереди фок-мачты)

jib, n [ʤɪb] - кливер (брус вдоль верхней кромки борта)

to upset, v [ʌp'set] - опрокидывать, переворачивать (лодку, автомобиль и т.

п.)

obstinacy, n ['ɔbstɪnəsɪ] - упрямство, неуступчивость; настойчивость,

стойкость, упорство

cursory, adj ['kɜːs(ə)rɪ] - беглый, поверхностный,

to lash, v [læʃ] - привязывать, крепить верёвками

to contrive, v [kən'traɪv] - придумывать, изобретать; разрабатывать

to pitch, v [pɪʧ] - бросать, кидать

bladder, n ['blædə] - мешок, камера

surfeit, n ['sɜːfɪt] - излишество, неумеренность, пресыщение

gnominious, adj [ˌɪgnə'mɪnɪəs] - позорный, постыдный; недостойный

134


Ex. 1. Put the following sentences in the chronological order according to

the content of the text:

1. I remember taking a small boat out at Eastbourne last summer: I used to do

a good deal of sea rowing years ago, and I thought I should be all right; but

I found I had forgotten the art entirely.

2. No man keeps his work in a better state of preservation than I do. But,

though I crave for work, I still like to be fair. I do not ask for more than my

proper share.

3. The assassin was standing close by him, laughing heartily, but the moment

he caught sight of Harris’s face, as it emerged from the water, he started

back and seemed quite concerned.

4. We woke late the next morning, and, at Harris’s earnest desire, partook of a

plain breakfast, with “non dainties.”

5. When I was a young man, I used to listen to these tales from my elders, and

take them in, and swallow them, and digest every word of them, and then

come up for more; but the new generation do not seem to have the simple

faith of the old times.

6. It was an old fisherman who, with immense difficulty, at last rescued us,

and we were towed back in an ignominious fashion to the boat-yard.

Ex. 2. Read chapter 15 and say if the following statements are True or False

(T/F):

1. The travelers had a full breakfast when they got up.

2. George considered J. and Harris to be very hardworking.

3. Harris retorted on George and said he was a skulk.

4. Novice rowers were very naïve and believed all the anecdotes that old river

hands used to tell them.

135

5. The youngster who the travelers took up with them once had the same faith of

the old times.

6. George first came to the water when he was fifteen.

7. When George and his eight mates took an outrigger George was appointed a

cox.

8. Harris preferred river travelling to sea travelling.

9. During J.’ first punting he was mocked by his three fellows because he was a

novice in punting.

10. When Harris was swimming once at Boulogne he was seized by the neck and

plunged into the water by the man who took Harris for a friend of his.

11. When J. and Hector went sailing for the first time they had already been

experienced sailors and, therefore, they safely reached the land.


1. Which topic did the travelers start to debate over after they had had a plain

breakfast?

2. Who turned to be the most hardworking man out of the three travelers in your

opinion?

3. Which youngsters were more naïve in J.’s opinion – the ones who lived in the

old times or the new generation? Find the lines in the text which prove his

view.

4. What was J.’s earliest experience in rowing? Was he alone or with his friends?

5. What was George’s first rowing experience? Was it successful?

6. How many punting experiences of his own did J. describe?

7. What confusing situation did J.’s friends find themselves in when they

accompanied J. during his first punting?

8. Was J. qualified enough for sailing when he and his friend Hector hired a

sailing boat for the first time? What happened to them during the trip?

136

VOCABULARY WORK

Ex.1. Find English equivalents to these words and combinations from

Chapter 15:

Ответственный

Сильный ветер

Непреклонный

Парковая сторожка

Чёрт возьми

Пристань

Отпечаток пальца

Лохматый

Смахнуть пыль

Брызгать

Цепляться

Оскорбить

Растягивать слова

Швырять

Ex. 2. Try to match water craft equipment and facilities given on the left with

their definitions on the right:

1. a scull a. The upper edge of the side of a

vessel.

2. a steer b. The rear part of a ship or boat.

3. a rudder c. The front section of a ship or

boat.

4. a sail d. A pole with a metal point and

hook at one end used especially to

maneuver logs, rafts, and boats.

5.a bow e. A flat structure, typically made

of planks, logs, or barrels, that floats on

water and is used for transport or as a

platform for swimmers.

6. a stern f. A line used in towing a vessel

137

or vehicle.

7.a raft g. A guiding device such as a

rudder, paddle, or wheel.

8. a towline h. A piece of fabric sewn intended

to convert the force of the wind into

forward motion of the vessel.

9. a boat hook i. A long oar used at the stern of a

boat and moved from side to side to

propel the boat forward.

10. gunwale k. A vertically hinged plate of

metal, fiberglass, or wood mounted at

the stern of a ship or boat for directing

its course.

Ex.3. Write down appropriate compound adjectives (e.g. left-sided) for the

following definitions.

1. Tall, having long legs. (l--- - l----- ).

2. Respected or adhered to because of age (t--- - h------).

3. Having eight oars (e---- - o----).

4. Having a thick and bushy head of hair (s---- - h-----).

5. Having difficulty in breathing (s---- - w-----).

Ex.4. Match the following adjectives and nouns to make word combinations.

Use the text to help you.

considerable blow

pocket fashion

138

cursory job

complicated money

violent breeze

extraordinary outrigger

stiff number

racing view

Ex.5. Find five synonyms to the word “to tease” in the following passage.

From this they immediately jumped to the conclusion that it was I, their

beloved companion, who was making an exhibition of himself, and their delight knew

no bounds. They commenced to chaff him unmercifully. I did not grasp their mistake

at first, and I thought, “How rude of them to go on like that, with a perfect stranger,

too!” But before I could call out and reprove them, the explanation of the matter

occurred to me, and I withdrew behind a tree. Oh, how they enjoyed themselves,

ridiculing that young man! For five good minutes they stood there, shouting ribaldry

at him, deriding him, mocking him, jeering at him. They peppered him with stale

jokes, they even made a few new ones and threw at him.

Ex.6. Match the water activity related professions with their translations:

1. a boating-man a. Пловец на плоскодонке

2. an oarsman b. Носовой

3. a bow c. Рулевой

4. a cox d. Гребец

5.a stroke e. Кормовой

6. a punter f. Лодочник

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Ex.7. Put the following verbs into the gaps in the correct form:

potter contribute row comfort bring reach

1. We could not all start together, so I said I would go down first and get out the

punt, and then I could _____ about and practice a bit until they came.

2. But I expect he only says this to _____ me.

3. And that was their gratitude to me for ______ ______ them and their wretched

old boat all the way up from Kingston.

4. My own earliest boating recollection is of five of us _______ three pence each

and taking out a curiously constructed craft on the Regent’s Park lake.

5. The tide was running out pretty rapidly when they _____ the landing-stage.

6. Bow finds it impossible to keep pace with stroke, because stroke ______ in

such an extraordinary fashion.




1. И Джек с Томом, обессилев от этого напряженного разговора, засыпают

снова. ( drop off to sleep)

2. Свидание, однако, заканчивается быстро, причем разговор ведет главным

образом владелец досок.( interview)

3. Когда одно весло погружалось глубоко в воду, другое нелепо било по

воздуху.(to flourish)

4. Вскоре мое внимание привлек один молодой человек на плоскодонке, у

которого, как я с удивлением заметил, была такая же куртка и кепи, как у

меня.(to attract attention)

5. Уцепившись обеими руками за планшир, мы ухитрились не вылетать из

лодки, но это была тяжелая работа.( to cling like grim death)

140


Ex. 1. Look at the extract from Chapter 15. What information is given in

bald? Is it necessary for understanding or does the author give some additional

details? What do we call this stylistic device?

When I was a young man, I used to listen to these tales from my elders, and

take them in, and swallow them, and digest every word of them, and then come up for

more; but the new generation do not seem to have the simple faith of the old times.

We—George, Harris, and myself—took a “raw ’un” up with us once last season, and

we plied him with the customary stretchers about the wonderful things we had done

all the way up.

We gave him all the regular ones—the time-honoured lies that have done duty

up the river with every boating-man for years past—and added seven entirely

original ones that we had invented for ourselves, including a really quite likely story,

founded, to a certain extent, on an all but true episode, which had actually happened

in a modified degree some years ago to friends of ours—a story that a mere child

could have believed without injuring itself, much.

Ex. 2. Read this extract from Chapter 15. Find all the adjectives the author

uses. Are they emotionally – coloured? Can we call them epithets?

If he be of a stout and short-winded build, you can easily avoid his advances;

but, when he is of the youthful and long-legged type, a meeting is inevitable. The

interview is, however, extremely brief, most of the conversation being on his part,

your remarks being mostly of an exclamatory and mono-syllabic order, and as soon

as you can tear yourself away you do so.

141

Ex. 3. Read the passage describing J.’ s and his friend Hector’s first sail trip.

Which experience is the author (J.) is speaking about? What stylistic means were

used by the author?

We had had enough sailing. We did not want to overdo the thing and get a

surfeit of it. We had had a sail—a good all-round exciting, interesting sail—and now

we thought we would have a row, just for a change like. We took the sculls and tried

to push the boat off the mud, and, in doing so, we broke one of the sculls. After that

we proceeded with great caution, but they were a wretched old pair, and the second

one cracked almost easier than the first, and left us helpless. The mud stretched out

for about a hundred yards in front of us, and behind us was the water. The only thing

to be done was to sit and wait until someone came by. It was not the sort of day to

attract people out on the river, and it was three hours before a soul came in sight. It

was an old fisherman who, with immense difficulty, at last rescued us, and we were

towed back in an ignominious fashion to the boat-yard. What between tipping the

man who had brought us home, and paying for the broken sculls, and for having been

out four hours and a half, it cost us a pretty considerable number of weeks’ pocket-

money, that sail. But we learned experience, and they say that is always cheap at any

price.

Ex.4. Remember which episodes the following words and phrases are taken

from. Retell these episodes using these phrases.

Two simple-minded youngsters, proprietor of the materials, an outrigger,

bow’s limited capacity, a real monkey on a stick, a would-be murderer

Ex.5. Retell the episode about George’s first water-travelling experience. Use

the following words and word combinations to help you:

to hire and pull a boat

142

boating is jolly fun

to run out rapidly

a stiff breeze

took fancy

eight-oared racing outrigger

stepped in bow’s place

received a violent blow

disappear from under him

the only one rowing

disappeared under the boat

threw rudder lines

Ex. 6. What new information have you learned about J., Harris and George

from this chapter?

143


PRE-READING


1. Is your city a place where some historically famous people lived or arrived at?

2. How many historical places are there in your city? Which historical moments

are they referred to?

3. How old is your city? Does it have a long history?

4. Name some other cities in your country which have played a significant role in

the history of the world.


answers with a dictionary:

1. an abbey

2. a boiler

3. a grotto

4. vulgar

5. monotony

6. glorious

7. spectre

8. plague

Ex. 3. Study the following place names for correct pronunciation and

geographical location.

144

Reading [ˈrɛdɪŋ] is a large town in the county of Berkshire, England.

Wessex [ˈwesiks] is the kingdom of the West Saxons, established in

Hampshire in the early 6th century and gradually extended by conquest to include

much of southern England.

Westminster [ˌwes(t)'mɪn(t)stə] is an inner London borough which contains

the Houses of Parliament and many government offices.

Streatley [ˈstrɪtlɪ] is a village and civil parish on the River Thames in

Berkshire, England. The village faces Goring-on-Thames.

Tilehurst /ˈtaɪlhɜrst/ is a suburb of the town of Reading in the English county

of Berkshire. It lies to the west of the centre of Reading, and extends from the River

Thames in the north to the A4 road in the south.

Mapledurham ['meɪplˈdərəm] is a small village, civil parish and country estate

beside the River Thames in southern Oxfordshire.

Pangbourne [‘pæŋ ‘bɔːn] is a large village and civil parish on the River

Thames in the English county of Berkshire.

Goring-on-Thames (or Goring) is a relatively large village and civil parish on

the Thames in South Oxfordshire 8 miles (13 km) north-west of Reading. It has a

railway station on the main line between Oxford and London in the nucleus of the

village.

Ex. 4. Look at the following proper names of historical importance

mentioned in the text. Try to match each name given on the left with the brief

description of personality and bibliographical details on the right. Then check with

the reference book.

1.King Ethelred

a. He was the King of

England and King of Ireland from 6

February 1685. He was the last Catholic

145

monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of

England, Scotland, and Ireland. Members

of Britain's political and religious elite

increasingly opposed him for being pro-

French and pro-Catholic, and for his

designs on becoming an absolute monarch.

James fled England (and thus was held to

have abdicated) in the Glorious Revolution

of 1688. James is best known for his belief

in the Divine Right of Kings and his

attempts to create religious liberty for

English Roman Catholics against the

wishes of the English Parliament.

2. King James b. (25 March 1345 – 12 September

1368) She was a member of the English

royal House of Plantagenet, daughter of

the kingdom's wealthiest and most

powerful peer, Henry of Grosmont, 1st

Duke of Lancaster. She was the first wife

of 1st Duke of Lancaster, and the mother

of King Henry IV.

3. Lady Blanche

c. He was called “the Unready”. The word

unready in his name means "badly

advised". Of all the kings in English

history, he (one of England's first

monarchs since it became a unified state)

has perhaps the worst reputation. He was

King of England twice. The first time was

from 978 to 1013, and the second time was

146

1014 to 1016. For most of his reign he had

to fight off Viking invaders. By the end of

his reign, he'd managed to lose almost all

of England to Viking Invaders.

4. The Earl of Essex

d. He was the 1st Duke of Lancaster

(6 March 1340 – 3 February 1399), he was

a member of the House of Plantagenet, the

third surviving son of King Edward III of

England and Philippa of Hainault. His

name derives from Ghen – a place where

he was born. When he became unpopular

later in life, scurrilous rumours circulated

that he was actually the son of a Ghent

butcher, perhaps because Edward III was

not present at the birth. This story always

drove him to fury.

5. John Gaunt

e. He was the king of Great Britain

and Ireland from 1688 to 1702. He was a

Dutch prince, married to Mary, the

daughter of James II. They were invited by

British Protestants to be the king and

queen of Britain in order to prevent the

Roman Catholic James II from being king.

William became king in the Bloodless

Revolution and defeated the forces of

James II in Ireland at the Battle of the

Boyne. He is remembered by a group of

Protestants in Northern Ireland who are

opposed to Ireland becoming one republic,

147

and call themselves Orangemen.

6. The Prince of Orange

f. He was also known as Beauclerc,

was King of England from 1100 to 1135.

He was the fourth son of William the

Conqueror and was educated in Latin and

the liberal arts. Considered by

contemporaries to be a harsh but effective

ruler, he skillfully manipulated the barons

in England and Normandy.

7. Henry I

g. He was an English

Parliamentarian and soldier during the first

half of the seventeenth century. With the

start of the English Civil War in 1642 he

became the first Captain-General and

Chief Commander of the Parliamentarian

army, also known as the Roundheads.

However, he was unable and unwilling to

score a decisive blow against the Royalist

army of King Charles I. He was eventually

overshadowed by the ascendancy of Oliver

Cromwell and Thomas Fairfax and

resigned his commission in 1646.

8. Charles I h. He (19 November 1600 – 30 January

1649) was monarch of the three kingdoms

of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27

March 1625 until his execution in 1649.

He was the second son of King James VI

of Scotland, but after his father inherited

the English throne in 1603, he moved to

148

England, where he spent much of the rest

of his life. He became heir apparent to the

English, Irish and Scottish thrones on the

death of his elder brother, Henry

Frederick, Prince of Wales, in 1612.


linger, v ['lɪŋgə] засиживаться, задерживаться

ravage, v ['rævɪʤ] губить, портить, разрушать, уничтожать

besiege, v [bɪ'siːʤ] осаждать; блокировать, окружать

rout, v [raut] разбивать наголову, обращать в беспорядочное бегство,

разгонять;

confoundedly, adv [kən'faundɪdlɪ] весьма, очень, страшно, ужасно,

чертовски, чрезвычайно

impertinent, adj [ɪm'pɜːtɪnənt] дерзкий, наглый, нахальный, грубый

whistle, v ['(h)wɪsl] свистеть, гудеть

lock, n [lɔk] шлюз на реке

habitué, n [hə'bɪʧueɪ] завсегдатай, постоянный посетитель

lean, v [liːn] наклонять, нагибать

quaint, adj [kweɪnt] привлекательный своей оригинальностью или


blanched, adj [blɑːnʧt] побледневший, бледный

prematurely, adv [ˌpremə'tjuəlɪ ] безвременно; преждевременно

pinch, n [pɪnʧ] крайняя нужда; стеснённое положение; трудности,

неприятности, невзгоды

deceive, v [dɪ'siːv] обманывать; сознательно вводить в заблуждение

to hamper ['hæmpə] препятствовать, мешать (чему-л.) ; затруднять,

стеснять движения

sin, v [sɪn] грешить; совершать грех

149

drudgery, n ['drʌʤ(ə)rɪ] тяжёлая, монотонная работа

respectability, n [rɪˌspektə'bɪlətɪ] респектабельность, благопристойность

erring, adj ['ɜːrɪŋ] грешный, заблудший

outcast, n ['autkɑːst] изгнанник, изгой, отверженный

unheeded, adj [ʌn'hiːdɪd] незамеченный, не принятый во внимание

stab, v [stæb] колоть, ранить кинжалом, ножом

gall, n [gɔːl] злоба, недовольство, неудовлетворение, обида, горечь

mingle, v ['mɪŋgl] смешивать

brink, n [brɪŋk] край (обрыва, пропасти), берег, грань

dusky, addj ['dʌskɪ] тёмный, темноватый, тусклый, сумеречный, тенистый

woo, v [wuː] ухаживать, заигрывать, охмурять

lure, v [l(j)uə] завлекать, соблазнять, манить

contradict, v [ˌkɔntrə'dɪkt] противоречить, возражать

affirm, v [ə'fɜːm] подтверждать; утверждать, одобрять

fair, adj [feə] привлекательный, красивый, прекрасный


Ex. 1. Put the following summary sentences of the text in the chronological

order according to the content of the text:

1) The travelers saw the dead body of a woman in the water.

2) George and Harris didn’t want to scull.

3) At Reading the friends were towed up by a steam launch of J.’s friends.

4) Henry I was buried at Reading.

5) The poor woman appealed to her friends for help and support.

6) The travelers left their boat near the bridge and went to Streatly for lunch.

150

Ex. 2. Read the chapter and say if the following statements are True or False

(T/F):

1) At Reading lock the four friends hired a steam launch and towed up their

friends.

2) There were a lot of small old boats getting in the way of the launch, which

annoyed the travelers.

3) George and Harris thought that ten miles above Reading J. had to stop the craft

and have a rest because he was tired.

4) The dead body that they came across belonged to a woman who aged too early

because of a hard life full of pinch and misery.

5) The same day the travelers pushed on to Wallington.

Ex. 3. Read Chapter 16 and answer the following questions:

1) What kind of place is Reading?

2) Which historical events is Reading famous for?

3) Which water transport were the travelers towed by?

4) Which annoying hindrance did the travelers come across during their trip?

5) What horrifying object floating on the water did the travelers notice?

6) What was the woman’s death caused by?

7) What did the four friends decide to do after they had finished the trip?

VOCABULARY WORK

Ex. 1. Divide the following words from Chapter 16 into two groups –

land/water:

151

To anchor, a ship, to bury, the ruins, a steam launch, to tow, to row, a grotto,

floating, a meadow, a bank, sail, railway

land water

Ex. 2. Explain the difference between the following words:

to tow- to row

sailing – punting

river’s brink - river’s bank

respectability – uppishness

remainder – remnants

pain – pinch

habitués - inhabitants

Ex.4. Complete the following table with cognate parts of speech – nouns,

verb, and adjectives where possible:

Verb Noun Adjective

monotony

appeal

reasonable

sin

respect

Ex.5. Match the following words in two columns to make word combinations.


152

grey impertinent

wretched peace

confoundedly twilight

to cast bill

restful arms

erring outcast

gentle loose

hotel boats

Ex.6. Put the following words / phrases into the gaps:

plague satisfaction poverty boiler millstone inhabitants

1) Parliament generally rushed off to Reading whenever there was a _____ on at

Westminster.

2) You can whistle till you nearly burst your ______ before they will trouble

themselves to hurry.

3) The neighbourhood of Pangbourne, where the quaint little Swan Inn stands,

must be as familiar to the habitués of the Art Exhibitions as it is to its own

________.

4) It lay very lightly on the water, and the face was sweet and calm. It was not a

beautiful face; it was too prematurely aged-looking, too thin and drawn, to be

that; but it was a gentle, lovable face, in spite of its stamp of pinch and ______.

5) Left to fight the world alone, with the ______ of her shame around her neck,

she had sunk ever lower and lower.

6) So we left our boat at the bridge, and went up into Streatley, and lunched at the

“Bull,” much to Montmorency’s ______.

153




1. На мой взгляд, лондонцам стоило претерпеть какую-нибудь пустяковую

чуму, чтобы разом избавиться и от юристов и от парламента. ( to get rid

of)

2. Поездка была бы еще приятнее, если бы не множество

маленьких лодчонок, которые все время сновали вокруг нашего баркаса. (

if it hadn’t been for)

3. Мы отцепились от баркаса моих знакомых, немного не доезжая грота, и

Гаррис принялся доказывать, что теперь моя очередь грести.(to cast loose)

4. Джордж наклонился и схватил этот предмет, но тотчас же с криком

отшатнулся, бледный как полотно. (a blanched face)

5. Шесть шиллингов в неделю связывают тело с душой не слишком крепко.

(unitedly)

6. В Стритли куда приятнее останавливаться, чем в Горинге, если у вас ест/ь

возможность выбирать. (a pretty spot)


Ex.1. Read the passage describing Reading. Say, why the author pays so

much attention to the historical role of Reading. What effect does he want to reach

mentioning the abundance of historical personalities? Look at the proper names

given in bold and say what role they played in the history of England.

We came in sight of Reading about eleven. The river is dirty and dismal here.

One does not linger in the neighbourhood of Reading. The town itself is a famous old

place, dating from the dim days of King Ethelred, when the Danes anchored their

154

warships in the Kennet, and started from Reading to ravage all the land of Wessex;

and here and his brother Alfred fought and defeated them, Ethelred doing the

praying and Alfred the fighting. In later years, Reading seems to have been regarded

as a handy place to run down to, when matters were becoming unpleasant in London.

Parliament generally rushed off to Reading whenever there was a plague on at

Westminster; and, in 1625, the Law followed suit, and all the courts were held at

Reading. It must have been worth while having a mere ordinary plague now and then

in London to get rid of both the lawyers and the Parliament. During the

Parliamentary struggle, Reading was besieged by the Earl of Essex, and, a quarter

of a century later, the Prince of Orange routed King James’s troops there. Henry I.

lies buried at Reading, in the Benedictine abbey founded by him there, the ruins of

which may still be seen; and, in this same abbey, great John of Gaunt was married

to the Lady Blanche.

Ex.3. Read the following passage and say which literary devices the author

uses when he describes the river. Explain the meaning of this stylistic device.

She had wandered about the woods by the river’s brink all day, and then, when

evening fell and the grey twilight spread its dusky robe upon the waters, she stretched

her arms out to the silent river that had known her sorrow and her joy. And the old

river had taken her into its gentle arms, and had laid her weary head upon its

bosom, and had hushed away the pain.


from. Retell the episodes:

Benedictine Abbey, teach them a lesson, restful peace, a penny box of

chocolate, Montmorency’s satisfaction

155

Ex.4. Divide the text into logical parts and give them titles. Find the keywords

in each part and use them to retell the text.

156


PRE-READING

Ex. 1. Answer these questions before reading the text:

1. Have you ever gone fishing? Did you catch any fish?

2. Who likes fishing more – men or women? Why?

3. What is special about fishing that makes a lot of people spend the whole days

sitting on the bank and angling fish?

4. Are anglers prone to exaggerating the quantity of the fish caught?



1. murmur

2. superintendence

3. excavating

4. a hook

5. a landlord

6. a query

7. pipeclaying

8. plaster of Paris


shoal, n [ʃəul] стая, косяк (рыбы)

throw,v [θrəu] закидывать удочку

blush, v [blʌʃ] краснеть, заливаться румянцем от смущения, стыда

tyro, n ['taɪərəu] новичок; начинающий

157

embellish, v [ɪm'belɪʃ ] украшать, приукрашивать (рассказ, повествование и

т. п. вымышленными деталями)

veracity, n [və'ræsətɪ] правдивость, достоверность, точность

pluck [plʌk] смелость, отвага; бесстрашие, мужество, храбрость

scorn, v [skɔːn] презирать; относиться с презрением, пренебрежением

accomplished, adj [ə'kɔmplɪʃt] совершенный, превосходный

puff, v [pʌf] пускать клубы дыма, дымить

brag, v [bræg] хвастаться, похваляться, кичиться

lull, n [lʌl] временное затишье; временное успокоение;

haul, n [hɔːl] улов, трофей

tinge, n [tɪnʤ]оттенок, тон

score, n [skɔː] два десятка

snap, v [snæp] ломаться, рваться

moderation, n [ˌmɔd(ə)'reɪʃ(ə)n] умеренность; сдержанность

taproom, n ['tæprum] бар, пивная

toddy, n ['tɔdɪ] 1) пунш, тодди (напиток из пальмового сока)

sip, v [sɪp] пить маленькими глотками, потягивать, прихлёбывать

ensue, v [ɪn'sjuː ] получаться в результате; происходить (из-за чего-л.),

следовать, последовательно происходить

stolid, adj ['stɔlɪd]/ бесстрастный, невозмутимый, флегматичный, вялый

lad, n [læd]/ 1) а) мальчик; юноша; парень

whacking, n ['(h)wækɪŋ] порка

marvel,v ['mɑːv(ə)l] изумляться, удивляться; восторгаться, восхищаться

clutch, v [klʌʧ] хвататься (за что-л.) , искать опоры

stuffed (animal), n [stʌft] чучело



158

1) The travelers spent three days in Streatly.

2) The travelers’ clothes were dirtier than the water in the river.

3) The local fisherman guide contained the information that it was possible to

catch a lot of fish in the Thames river.

4) All the fishermen always exaggerate their abilities in catching fish.

5) The narrator told a story of a young man who had never exaggerated his hauls

because he thought it was a sin.

6) Harris didn’t go to Wallington with his friends because he was engaged in

cleaning his shoes.

7) The travelers listened to three different versions of how this monstrous fish

was caught.

8) The gigantic trout turned to be made of porcelain.

Ex. 2. After reading Chapter 17, find out:

1. if the three men managed to wash their clothes in the river by themselves under

George’s watchful control.

2. which kinds of fish the Thames river abounded in.

3. which manner an accomplished fisherman should follow to conduct a

conversation about his haul.

4. if any of the stories about the huge trout was true .


1) Why did the washwoman at Streatly charged the travelers three times more

money for washing their clothes?

2) Did J. think of himself as of a good fisherman?

3) Why did old fishermen say J. would never make a good fisherman?

159

4) Which qualities does and accomplished angler needs to have in the narrator’s

opinion?

5) Why the travelers decide to walk to Wallington?

6) What really fascinated them when they came in to the parlour of the river-side

inn?

VOCABULARY WORK


Стать ещё хуже

Преувеличивать

Острый

Быть обязанным

Необъяснимый

Средних лет

С силой

Значительного размера

Учитель в школе

Чужеземец

Искренне (сердечно)

Братство (братия)

Ex.2. Match these adjectives and nouns to make word combinations. Use the

text to help you.

To charge trout

wearable claying

bald clothes

glass stranger

stuffed laziness

perfect case

pipe a price

constitutional fabrication

160

Ex.3. Match the fish names in the left column with their translations in the

right column:

1. gudgeon a. щука

2. eel b. окунь

3. dace c.треска

4. pike d. елец

5. roach e. гольян (мелкая рыба)

6. trout f. молодая щука

7. cod g. осётр (белуга)

8. sturgeon h. плотва

9. minnow i. форель

10. jack j. угорь

11. perch k. пескарь

Ex. 4. Match the fishing related terms on the left and the definitions to them

on the right.

1. fishing a. A large group or number of fish

2. to lands b. A long, thin animal that has a

soft body with no legs or bones and that

often lives in the ground

3. a shoal c. The sport or business of

catching fish

4. a worm d. A long, flexible stick used to

catch fish.

5. a rod e. Catch a fish to the ground

161

Ex. 5. Find the synonyms for the following words from the text. The first

letters are given:

Fishing rod – fishing l---

Fisherman – a-----

Catch – h---

Gigantic – m--------

King-hearted – g-----

Ex. 6. Put the following words / phrases into the gaps in the correct form:

weigh view dissatisfy describe neighbourhood feel direction crowd

1. The ______ of Streatley and Goring is a great fishing centre.

2. And, if you go for a bathe, they _____ round, and get in your way, and irritate

you.

3. Last Monday I landed a gudgeon, ______ eighteen pounds, and measuring

three feet from the tip to the tail.

4. I was just about giving it up as a bad job when I suddenly ______ a rather

smart pull at the line.

5. He stuck to this arrangement for a couple of months, and then he grew ______

with it.

6. “Ah!” said the old gentleman, following the ______ of my gaze.

7. Five minutes afterwards, a third man came in, and ______ how he had caught

it early one morning, with bleak.

8. It excited George so much that he climbed up on the back of a chair to get a

better ______ of it.

162

Ex. 7. Translate the following sentences from Russian into English using the



1. Мы собрали во время стирки всю грязь, которая скопилась в реке между

Рэдингом и Хэнли, и, так сказать, вмыли ее в наше платье. ( to work into)

2. Судя по тому,что мне пришлось видеть, я вполне готов поддержать это

утверждение. ( to bear out)

3. Они подплывают и высовываются из воды, раскрывая рот в надежде

получить печенье. (to stand out)

4. Они говорили, что в роли поэта, автора уголовных романов, репортера

или чего-нибудь в этом роде я, может быть, и добьюсь успеха. (a shilling

shocker)

5. Наступает пауза; никто не чувствует в себе достаточной уверенности,

чтобы оспаривать мнение старого джентльмена. (to contradict)

6. Эта форель прямо-таки обворожила меня - это была совершенно

чудовищная рыба. (to fascinate; monstrous)



from:

1. blushing

2. bald fabrication

3. to sip a toddy

4. a stolid man

5. a glass case

6. excavating

163

Ex. 2. Read the following passage and pay attention to the use of direct

speech. Why did the narrator turn to direct speech? What artistic effect does it

bring? Convert the direct speech into indirect speech and say which example

sounds more literary appropriate and interesting.

Good-sized trout, that,” said George, turning round to him. “Ah! you may

well say that, sir,” replied the man; and then, after a pull at his beer, he added,

“Maybe you wasn’t here, sir, when that fish was caught?” “No,” we told him. We

were strangers in the neighbourhood. “Ah!” said the carrier, “then, of course, how

should you? It was nearly five years ago that I caught that trout.” “Oh! was it you

who caught it, then?” said I. “Yes, sir,” replied the genial old fellow. “I caught him

just below the lock — leastways, what was the lock then — one Friday afternoon; and

the remarkable thing about it is that I caught him with a fly. I’d gone out pike fishing,

bless you, never thinking of a trout, and when I saw that whopper on the end of my

line, blest if it didn’t quite take me aback. Well, you see, he weighed twenty-six

pound. Good-night, gentlemen, goodnight.”

Ex. 3. Read the extract from the same episode and find

a) the markers of colloquial speech (colloquialisms),

b) the use of parallelisms by the author:

“No,” he continues thoughtfully; “I shouldn’t believe it myself if anybody told

it to me, but it’s a fact, for all that. I had been sitting there all the afternoon and had

caught literally nothing—except a few dozen dace and a score of jack; and I was just

about giving it up as a bad job when I suddenly felt a rather smart pull at the line. I

thought it was another little one, and I went to jerk it up. Hang me, if I could move

the rod! It took me half-an-hour—half-an-hour, sir!—to land that fish; and every

moment I thought the line was going to snap! I reached him at last, and what do you

164

think it was? A sturgeon! a forty pound sturgeon! taken on a line, sir! Yes, you may

well look surprised—I’ll have another three of Scotch, landlord, please.”

And then he goes on to tell of the astonishment of everybody who saw it; and

what his wife said, when he got home, and of what Joe Buggles thought about it.

How do these stylistic devices change our perception of the episode?

What other literary devices can you find in the extract?

Ex.4. Read the extract from Chapter 17 and find all elements which help the

author express his ironic attitude (exaggeration, hyperbole, parallelisms, epithets

etc.)

Some people do. They never catch them. I never knew anybody catch anything,

up the Thames, except minnows and dead cats, but that has nothing to do, of course,

with fishing! The local fisherman’s guide doesn’t say a word about catching

anything. All it says is the place is “a good station for fishing;” and, from what I

have seen of the district, I am quite prepared to bear out this statement.

There is no spot in the world where you can get more fishing, or where you can

fish for a longer period. Some fishermen come here and fish for a day, and others

stop and fish for a month. You can hang on and fish for a year, if you want to: it will

be all the same.

The Angler’s Guide to the Thames says that “jack and perch are also to be had

about here,” but there the Angler’s Guide is wrong. Jack and perch may be about

there. Indeed, I know for a fact that they are. You can see them there in shoals, when

you are out for a walk along the banks: they come and stand half out of the water

with their mouths open for biscuits. And, if you go for a bathe, they crowd round, and

get in your way, and irritate you. But they are not to be “had” by a bit of worm on

the end of a hook, nor anything like it—not they!

165

Ex. 5. Decide on the ten keywords you chose form the story and retell the

whole text using the third person narration.

166


PRE-READING


1. Do you prefer quiet pulling to pulling in wild waters or vice versa?

2. Do you seek for adrenaline experience or peaceful rest?

3. Have you ever had your photo taken while sailing or doing some other water

activity?

4. Do you try to assume a special face expression or take up an advantageous

position in order to have your photo taken eye-catchingly? Does it seem risky

to you when you are in the water?

Ex. 2. Study the following place names from Chapter 18 for correct

pronunciation and translation.

Oxford ['ɔksfəd] is a city in central England, on the River Thames. - Оксфорд

Wallingford [ˈwälingfərd] is a market town and civil parish in the upper

Thames Valley in England. - Уоллингфорд

Clifton ['klɪft(ə)n] is a hamlet by the River Cherwell in Deddington civil parish

about 6 miles (10 km ) south of Banbury, Oxfordshire, England. - Клифтон

Abingdon [ˈæbɪŋdən], also known as Abingdon on Thames or Abingdon-on-

Thames, is a market town and civil parish in England. Historically it was the county

town of Berkshire, but has been in the administrative county of Oxfordshire since

1974. - Абингдон

167

Dorchester or Dorchester-on-Thames ['dɔːʧɪstə] is a village and civil parish

on the River Thames in Oxfordshire, about 3 miles (5 km) northwest of Wallingford

and 8 miles (13 km) southeast of Oxford. - Дорчестер

Culham ['kʌləm] is a village and civil parish on the north bank of the River

Thames, 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Abingdon in Oxfordshire. - Кулхэм

Nuneham Village on Nuneham ['nunhəm] Courtenay lies along the left bank

of the River Thames about five miles south of Oxford and covers 2,108 acres. –

Нунхэм

Iffley ['ɪflɪ] is a village in Oxfordshire, England, within the boundaries of the

city of Oxford, between Cowley and the estates of Rose Hill and Donnington, and in

proximity to the River Thames (Isis). - Иффли

Ex. 3. Study the following words from the text and guess their meaning. Use

the dictionary if necessary.

1. A stretch

2. A corpse

3. Foreground

4. Fortifications

5. Picturesque

6. Once-upon-a-timeyfied

7. To demoralize

8. Temper

9. Brutally

Ex. 4. Read through and study the following words and expressions:

168

backwater, n ['bækˌwɔːtə]/ 1. 1) а) заводь, запруда; запруженная вода

canvas, n ['kænvəs]/ 1) холст, парусина; брезент

creakv, [kriːk] скрипеть

speculative, adj ['spekjələtɪv] расчётливый, авантюрный

rakish, adj ['reɪkɪʃ] щегольской; лихой, ухарский; небрежный

assume, v [ə's(j)uːm] притворяться, прикидываться, напустить вид

mingle, v ['mɪŋgl] смешиваться

affability, n [ˌæfə'bɪlətɪ] приветливость; учтивость, любезность

sternj, a [stɜːn] строгий, суровый,

prow, n [prau] нос (судна)

hitcher, n [ˈhiʧə] багор

agility, n [ə'ʤɪlətɪ] быстрота, живость, резвость, ловкость, проворство

wistfulness, n ['wɪstf(ə)lnəs ] тоска, ностальгия

eventful, adj [ɪ'ventf(ə)l ] богатый событиями, знаменательный

squint, v [skwɪnt] смотреть украдкой

stentorian, adj [sten'tɔːrɪən] громоподобный, зычный, громкий (о голосе)

sprawl, v [sprɔːl] вытянуться, растянуться, упасть

ordain, v [ɔː'deɪn] предопределять; предписывать; уготавливать

paltry, adj ['pɔːltrɪ] пустяковый, мелкий, незначительный

bespeak, v [bɪ'spiːk] заказывать заранее; заручаться чем-л.

rescind, v [rɪ'sɪnd] аннулировать, расторгать, отменять

mason, n ['meɪs(ə)n] каменотёс, каменщик

siege, n [siːʤ] осада

raze, v [reɪz] разрушать до основания

drowsiness, n ['drauzɪnəs] дремота

stirring, adj ['stɜːrɪŋ] деятельный, активный, энергичный; неугомонный

gable, n ['geɪbl] фронтон

thatched, adj [θætʃt] соломенный, крытый соломой

loin, n [lɔɪn] (loins) лоно, чресла

benefactor, n ['benɪfæktə] благодетель, покровитель

169

lasher, n ['læʃə] водослив, дамба, запруда,

frantic, adj ['fræntɪk] безумный, неистовый, яростный

rage, n [reɪʤ] ярость, гнев, бешенство

fairish, adj ['feərɪʃ] достаточно большой, немалый, изрядный, приличный

mishap, n ['mɪshæp] несчастье, неудача; несчастный случай

indulgently, adv [ɪn'dʌlʤəntlɪ] снисходительно, милостиво

disposition, n [ˌdɪspə'zɪʃ(ə)n] нрав, характер, манера

drat, interj [dræt] провались ты!, пропади ты пропадом!

amiable, adj ['eɪmɪəbl] дружелюбный, дружеский, дружественный;

любезный


Ex.1. Put the place names specified in the pre-reading part in the order that

makes up the route of the three friends travel from the starting location to the

destination.

Starting location

Transitional location 1






Destination

Ex.2. Read chapter 18 and say if the following statements are True or False

(T/F):

170

1. In Culham the travelers slept under the canvas, in the backwater.

2. George hurriedly smooth out his trousers, ruffle up his hair because he caught a

sight of a pretty girl that he knew.

3. J. and George were asked to push their noses out in order not to spoil the photo

taken.

4. They refused to take photos because they wanted to be photographed full

length.

5. The most difficult part of the river was between Oxford and Iffly because of

the very strong undercurrents there.

6. In the narrator’s opinion boating on the river makes people calm and quiet.


1. Does the narrator like locks?

2. How does the narrator describe pulling with the presence of blocks? Which

feelings does such travelling arouse?

3. What accident related to locks happened to J. and George one day when they

were pulling? Did they stay alive?

4. Who was Mr. W. Lee buried in St. Helen’s Church? What was he famous for?

5. What effect in the narrator’s opinion does the river air have on people’s

temper? Which story did he tell to prove his view?

VOCABULARY WORK

Ex.1. Find English equivalents to these words and word combinations from

Chapter 18:

Нанимать на работу

Ячменный стог

Одеревенеть

171

Художники, пишущие речные

пейзажи

С небрежным изяществом

Решётчатые окна

Бросить косой взгляд

Перина

«Гвоздь» фотографии

Жили долго и счастливо и

умерли в один день

Фотография во весь рост

Старинная гостиница

Приютиться

Освоить (постигнуть)

Ex.2. Match the parts of the compound words from the text to make the

whole words and find a correct translation for each word.

chuckle pitched кровожадный

blood baked болван

flower eyed сторож шлюза

diving seeker глиняный

cheerful thirsty низкий

bright curdling любитель

удовольствий

lock decked ясноглазый

low looking душераздираю

щий

blood keeper жизнерадостны

й

pleasure head украшенный

цветами

clay board сказочный

blood looking трамплин для

прыжков в воду

172

Ex.3. Match the following adjectives and nouns to make word combinations.


common walls

cool blow

rising article

Japanese roof

eventful neighbourhood

vigorous practice

leading fan

picturesque water

thatched depths

sanctified moment

Ex. 4. Try to match the place name given on the left with its description from

the text on the right:

1. Dorchester a. It is a very ancient town, and

has been an active centre for the making

of English history. It was a rude, mud-

built town in the time of the Britons,

who squatted there, until the Roman

legions evicted them; and replaced their

clay-baked walls by mighty

fortifications, the trace of which Time

has not yet succeeded in sweeping

away, so well those old-world masons

knew how to build.

173

2. Clifton b. It is a typical country town of

the smaller order—quiet, eminently

respectable, clean, and desperately dull.

It prides itself on being old, but whether

it can compare in this respect with

Wallingford and Dorchester seems

doubtful. A famous abbey stood here

once, and within what is left of its

sanctified walls they brew bitter ale

nowadays. In St. Nicholas Church, at

Abingdon, there is a monument to John

Blackwall and his wife Jane, who both,

after leading a happy married life, died

on the very same day, August 21, 1625.

3. Wallingford d. It is a delightfully peaceful old

place, nestling in stillness and silence

and drowsiness. Like Wallingford, it

was a city in ancient British times; it

was then called Caer Doren, “the city on

the water.” In more recent times the

Romans formed a great camp here, the

fortifications surrounding which now

seem like low, even hills. In Saxon days

it was the capital of Wessex. It is very

old, and it was very strong and great

once. Now it sits aside from the stirring

world, and nods and dreams.

4. Abingdon e. It is a wonderfully pretty

village, old-fashioned, peaceful, and

174

dainty with flowers, the river scenery is

rich and beautiful. If you stay the night

on land there, you cannot do better than

put up at the “Barley Mow.”

Ex.5. Put the following verbs into the gaps in the correct form:

to bespeak to catch to shake to face to drown to rise to stay to

regret to look

1. But however satisfactory this absence of locks may be to rowing-men, it is to

be ______ by the mere pleasure-seeker.

2. My first idea was that he had suddenly ______ sight of some girl he knew, and

I ______ about to see who it was.

3. So I ______ round quickly, and took up a position in the prow.

4. We looked then, and saw that the nose of our boat had got fixed under the

woodwork of the lock, while the in-coming water was ______ all around it,

and tilting it up.

5. The owner of one steam launch, who ______ had six copies, rescinded the

order on seeing the negative.

6. It would not be a good place for the heroine of a modern novel to ______ at.

7. An obelisk marks the spot where two men have already been ______, while

bathing there.

8. “Oh, bother the silly old thing!” she would say indignantly, when the sail

would not go up properly. And she would catch hold of it, and ______ it quite

brutally.

175




1. Лично я очень люблю шлюзы. Они так приятно нарушают однообразие

гребли. ( monotony)

2. Они стояли и сидели в самых странных и нелепых позах, какие мне

приходилось видеть только на японских веерах.( quaint and curious

attitudes)

3. Рука фотографа лежала на колпачке объектива, и он каждую секунду мог

сделать снимок. (a cap)

4. Наши ноги несомненно были "гвоздем" этой фотографии.

( undoubtedly)

5. От Уоллингфорда к Дорчестеру окрестности реки становятся более

гористыми, разнообразными и живописными. (neighbourhood of the river)

6. Человек, который сумеет грести по прямой от Иффли до Оксфорда,

наверное в состоянии ужиться под одной крышей со своей женой,тещей,

старшей сестрой и служанкой, которая работала у них, когда он был еще

маленьким. (ought to be able to)

Ex. 7. Put the following summarized sentences in the chronological order

according to the content of the text:

1. J. was surprised because everybody in the lock suddenly struck wooden. I

2. The old inn “Barley Mow” was so low that tall people would easily bump

into the ceiling if they tried to stand up full height.

3. When the travelers arrived in Clifton, they slept in the backwaters.

4. Even the mildest tempered people become violent and blood-thirsty when

they are in a boat in the water.

176

5. J. and George refused to take the photos because nothing else was seen in

them apart from their feet.


Ex. 1. Remember which episodes the following words and phrases are taken

from. Retell these episodes using these phrases.

A stentorian voice, Roman legions, Caer Doren, Barley Mow, an obelisk, bad

language

Ex. 2. Read the following passage and summarize what the narrator thinks

of pulling with the presence and absence of locks.

We left Streatley early the next morning, and pulled up to Culham, and slept

under the canvas, in the backwater there. The river is not extraordinarily interesting

between Streatley and Wallingford. From Cleve you get a stretch of six and a half

miles without a lock. I believe this is the longest uninterrupted stretch anywhere

above Teddington, and the Oxford Club make use of it for their trial eights. But

however satisfactory this absence of locks may be to rowing-men, it is to be regretted

by the mere pleasure-seeker. For myself, I am fond of locks. They pleasantly break

the monotony of the pull. I like sitting in the boat and slowly rising out of the cool

depths up into new reaches and fresh views; or sinking down, as it were, out of the

world, and then waiting, while the gloomy gates creak, and the narrow strip of day-

light between them widens till the fair smiling river lies full before you, and you push

your little boat out from its brief prison on to the welcoming waters once again.

177

Ex.3. Read this extract from Chapter 18 and find all emotionally-coloured

words and expressions (idioms) in it. What would happen if we substituted these

words with their neutral equivalents? Would it sound the same?

I don’t know why it should be, but everybody is always so exceptionally

irritable on the river. Little mishaps, that you would hardly notice on dry land, drive

you nearly frantic with rage, when they occur on the water. When Harris or George

makes an ass of himself on dry land, I smile indulgently; when they behave in a

chuckle-head way on the river, I use the most blood-curdling language to them. When

another boat gets in my way, I feel I want to take an oar and kill all the people in it.

Ex. 4. Describe one of the on-Thames towns and villages which the travelers

were passing by. Use:

- emotionally – coloured words

- comparison and simile

- parenthesis and so on.

Ex.4. Role-play the scene when J. and George were getting ready to have

their photo taken and tell how the whole episode ended up. Act as a stentorian

voice, photographer and J.

178


PRE-READING

Ex. 1. Answer these questions before reading the text:

1. Do you like rainy weather?

2. How does it make you feel when you are walking in the rain?

3. Do you prefer to stay at home or drop into some of your friends when it is

raining?

4. Do you consider it romantic sculling or sailing in the rain?



1. heaven

2. water-tight

3. antediluvian

4. a relic

5. an occupant

6. to pooh-pooh

7. pre-Adamite

8. a washing-tub

9. drift-wood

10. to babble

11. a precedent

12. a paybox

13. nutritious

14. a wayfarer

15. a wavelet

16. a townlet

Ex. 3. Divide the following words into two groups – food and drinks and

complete the table below.

Soles, mustard, French sauce, whitebait, Beaune, veal pie, toddy, boiled beef,

white-sauce, loaves, Burgundy

FOOD DRINKS

179


relish, v ['relɪʃ] получать удовольствие, наслаждаться

contemplate, v ['kɔntəmpleɪt] обозревать, созерцать; пристально

разглядыватьv

recommendation, n [ˌrekəmen'deɪʃ(ə)] сильная сторона, плюс, достоинство

retiring, adj [rɪ'taɪərɪŋ] застенчивый, скромный

fetch, v [feʧ] принести, достать;

coffin, n ['kɔfɪn] гроб

surmise, n [sə'maɪz] догадка, подозрение, предположение

grieve, v [griːv] огорчать, глубоко опечаливать

conscientiously, adv [ˌkɔn(t)ʃɪ'en(t)ʃəslɪ] добросовестно, честно

fossil, n ['fɔs(ə)l] ископаемое, окаменелость (остатки животных или

растительных организмов, сохранившиеся в земной коре с прежних

геологических эпох)

mean, adj [miːn] посредственный, средненький, недалёкий

vex, v [veks] досаждать, раздражать; возмущать, сердить

tar, v [tɑː] мазать дёгтем; смолить

beech, n [biːʧ] бук (Fagus)

glint, v [glɪnt] вспыхивать, сверкать; ярко блестеть

fling, v [flɪŋ] бросать, метать, кидать, швырять, запускать

wanton, v ['wɔntən] резвиться, забавляться

weir, n [wɪə] плотина, запруда; водослив, дамба

tangled, adj ['tæŋgld] запутанный, спутанный

gleam, v [gliːm] светиться; мерцать; испускать, излучать

sluggish, adj ['slʌgɪʃ] пассивный, вялый; медленный, неторопливый

shroud, v [ʃraud] покрывать саваном, завёртывать в саван, прикрывать,

укрывать, защищать

reproachful, adj [rɪ'prəuʧf(ə)l ], [-ful] укоризненный

180

soberly, adv['səubəlɪ] трезво

hoist, v [hɔɪst] поднимать (что-л.)

clammy, adj ['klæmɪ] клейкий, липкий, вязкий

nap, n [næp] от napoleon наполеон (карточная игра)

breed, v [briːd] порождать, вызывать

cripple, n ['krɪpl] инвалид; калека

mournful, adj ['mɔːnf(ə)l ], [-ful]/ унылый, угрюмый, печальный, скорбный;

мрачный

yearnful, adj [jɜː nf(ə)l] - грустный; печальный; сострадательный;

тоскливый

unutterable, adj [ʌn'ʌt(ə)rəbl] невыразимый, неописуемый, непередаваемый

abandon, n [ə'bændən] непринуждённость

fitful, adj ['fɪtf(ə)l ], [-ful] судорожный; порывистый

bally, adj ['bælɪ] ужасный, страшный, проклятый, чертовский

malevolence, n [mə'lev(ə)lən(t)s] злорадство; злоба, недоброжелательность

stealthily, adv ['stelθɪlɪ] втихомолку, тайно, украдкой

felt, n [felt] войлок; фетр

contortionist, n [kən'tɔːʃ(ə)nɪst] "человек-змея", акробат

countenance, n ['kaunt(ə)nən(t)s] лицо, выражение лица

cynosure, n ['saɪnəsjuə] средоточие внимания, центр внимания

wend, v [wend] идти, направляться, держать путь

quaff, v [kwɔf ], [kwɑːf] пить большими глотками, осушить, опорожнить

glisten, v ['glɪs(ə)n] искриться; сиять; блестеть, сверкать

crouch, v [krauʧ] припадать к земле; согнуться, сжаться

hind, adj [haɪnd] / задний; расположенный сзади

concurrence, n [kən'kʌr(ə)n(t)s] согласие; согласованность, гармония


Ex. 1. Put the following sentences into the correct order according to the

content of the text:

181

1) The three friends were dreaming about hot meal instead of having cold supper in

the wet boat.

2) During J.’s previous trip one summer the boat that he and his party hired more

reminded some ancient relic than a real boat.

3) Montmorency refused to eat the veal pie and, to show his protest, went to the

other end of the boat and sat there by himself.

4) One of Harris’ fellows remained crippled forever after having spent a night in a

wet boat under pouring rain.

5) The travelers were happy to go back home after a fortnight trip.


1) J. and his friends liked the up-river boat they hired during his previous trip

because it was really nice and durable.

2) The three travelers were fond of sculling under the drizzling rain.

3) The travelers had rather plain supper because the cold meal they had onboard

was cloying.

4) When the travelers played cards after the supper, George lost the game.

5) The travelers’ depression caused by the bad weather ceased when George got

out the banjo and played a comic song.

6) The travelers slept very badly and got up early in the morning.

7) The travelers decided to go back home by sculling despite the pouring rain.


1) What was the cause of Montmorency’s absolute happiness when the travelers

spent two days in Oxford?

2) Why do people hiring up-river boats become modest and retiring and start

hiding beneath the trees?

3) How did the boat which J. and his party hired one summer look like?

182

4) Where did the travelers start their present trip from? What was the weather like

that day?

5) Which epithets and metaphors or other stylistic devices does the narrator use to

describe weather changes?

6) Which theme for chatting did the bad weather naturally lead the travelers to

after the scanty meal?

7) Which decision did the travelers take after they had tossed about at the bottom

of the wet boat for four hours?

8) What caused a great deal of attention that the travelers attracted in Alhambra?

9) How did the travelers feel when they were sitting in the restaurant? What did

Harris raise a toast to?

VOCABULARY WORK


Канава

Ничего не поделаешь

Сточный жёлоб

Будь что будет

Капать

Рыдать

Лужа

Залежь грусти

Закопчённый

Сказочный

Грешные мысли

Белить

183

Ex.2. Match these adjectives and nouns to make word combinations. Use

the text to help you.

necessary wavelets

Roman umbrellas

humorous wayfarers

dancing attempts

moss-grown arrangements

fitful answer

dripping relic

feeble walls

bronzed slumber

soaked countenance

Ex.3. Match the disease names in the left column with their translations

in the right column:

1. chills a. заболевание лёгких

2. bronchitis b. лихорадка

3. rheumatic fever c. озноб (простуда)

4. sciatica d. бронхит

5. fever e. ишиас (радикулит)

6. lung disease f. ревматизм

Find a correct disease name for each of the following symptoms:

1) Inflammation of the bronchioles, restricting air flow to and from the lungs.

184

2) Pain along the sciatic nerve radiating to the buttocks and to the back of the

thigh.

3) A sensation of coldness, often accompanied by shivering and pallor of the

skin.

4) Abnormally high body temperature.

5) An acute inflammatory disease occurring during recovery from infection

with a strain of streptococcus bacteria, having an onset marked by fever

and joint pain and frequently resulting in scarring of the heart valves.

6) Any condition causing or indicating impaired lung function.

Ex.4. Complete the following table with cognate parts of speech –

nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs where possible:

Verb Noun Adjective Adverb

constitution

grieve necessarily

conscientiously

offend

enthusiastic

persistency

merry

Ex.5. Find the synonyms in the text to the following words:

sad

1. m-------

2. y-------

cheerful

185

3. m----

to shine

4. g------

5. g----

6. g----

ancient

7. p-- -A------

8. a-----------

a guess

9. s------

worn

10. s----

to slide

11. g----

a dam

12. w---

to cry

13. s--

a dream

14. s-----

a face

15. c----------

to bend

16. c-----

disabled

17. c------

186

Ex.5. Put the following words / phrases into the gaps in the correct form:

a leg to tremble countenance mustard sad to flash to foresee

to stick to peer to talk to pick to pour clothes

1.The boat you hire up the river above Marlow is not the sort of boat in which

you can ______ about and give yourself airs.

2. He said he had ______ us out the best boat in all his stock, and he thought

we might have been more grateful.

3. George took the fun more soberly, and ______ to the umbrella..

4. George requested that we would not ______ about these things, at all

events until he had finished his cold boiled beef without ______.

5. He said it was one of the ______ things he had ever known.

6. We refilled our glasses and joined in; Harris, in a voice ______ with

emotion, leading, and George and I following a few words behind.

7. After that we could walk about the village in the ______ rain until bed-

time.

8. If, we said—if anything ______should happen, preventing our return, we

would write to him..

9. Our fine bronzed ______ and picturesque ______ were followed round the

place with admiring gaze.

10. And Montmorency, standing on his hind ______, before the window,

______ out into the night, gave a short bark of decided concurrence with

the toast.

Ex.5. Translate the following sentences from Russian into English using

the words from the text given in brackets after the sentences. Then check up

your translation with the original sentences from the text.

187

1. Наемная лодка живо заставляет своих пассажиров прекратить

подобные глупости. (occupants)

2. Мальчик ушел и через пять минут вернулся, с трудом толкая вперед

какой-то допотопный деревянный обрубок.

( antediluvian, a chunk)

3. Джордж предложил нам реванш, но мы с Гаррисом решили не

сражаться больше с судьбой. (fate)

4. Чем дальше мы с Гаррисом слушали эту песню, тем больше нам

хотелось броситься друг другу на шею и зарыдать. (mournful strains)

5. Мы переглянулись, и каждый, казалось, прочел на лицах других свои

собственные низкие и грешные мысли. (mean,guilty)

6. Должен сознаться, этот ужин доставил мне удовольствие.

(to confess)


Ex.1. Remember which episodes the following words and phrases are

taken from. Describe the episodes briefly:

1. to flash about

2. a double sculling skiff

3. fossil

4. a veal pie

5. rheumatic fever

6. a yearnful melody

188

Ex.2. Read the following passage and say, why the author used indirect

speech here. Convert the indirect speech into direct speech. Would the passage

sound more expressive?

We played for about an hour and a half, by the end of which time George

had won four pence—George always is lucky at cards—and Harris and I had lost

exactly two pence each. We thought we would give up gambling then. As Harris

said, it breeds an unhealthy excitement when carried too far. George offered to

go on and give us our revenge; but Harris and I decided not to battle any further

against Fate. After that, we mixed ourselves some toddy, and sat round and

talked. George told us about a man he had known, who had come up the river

two years ago and who had slept out in a damp boat on just such another night

as that was, and it had given him rheumatic fever, and nothing was able to save

him, and he had died in great agony ten days afterwards. George said he was

quite a young man, and was engaged to be married. He said it was one of the

saddest things he had ever known. And that put Harris in mind of a friend of his,

who had been in the Volunteers, and who had slept out under canvas one wet

night down at Aldershot, “on just such another night as this,” said Harris; and

he had woke up in the morning a cripple for life. Harris said he would introduce

us both to the man when we got back to town; it would make our hearts bleed to

see him.

Ex.3. Read this episode about the double sculling skiff, which J. and his

party wanted to hire. How does the author let us know that the boat was in a

bad condition? Find all literary devices that help him do that.

The boy went, and re-appeared five minutes afterwards, struggling with an

antediluvian chunk of wood, that looked as though it had been recently dug out of

somewhere, and dug out carelessly, so as to have been unnecessarily damaged in

the process.

189

My own idea, on first catching sight of the object, was that it was a Roman

relic of some sort,—relic of what I do not know, possibly of a coffin.

The neighbourhood of the upper Thames is rich in Roman relics, and my

surmise seemed to me a very probable one; but our serious young man, who is a

bit of a geologist, pooh-poohed my Roman relic theory, and said it was clear to

the meanest intellect (in which category he seemed to be grieved that he could

not conscientiously include mine) that the thing the boy had found was the fossil

of a whale; and he pointed out to us various evidences proving that it must have

belonged to the preglacial period.

To settle the dispute, we appealed to the boy. We told him not to be afraid,

but to speak the plain truth: Was it the fossil of a pre-Adamite whale, or was it an

early Roman coffin?

Ex. 4. Retell the episode with the supper in the boat and listening to

George playing his banjo from J.’s and George’s viewpoints.

Ex. 5. Decide on the keywords you chose form the chapter and retell the

chapter using the third person narration.

190

GLOSSARY OF LITERARY TERMS

Atmosphere – emotions and feelings an author coveys to his readers through

descriptions of objects and settings.

Comparison - literary device in which a writer compares or contrasts two people,

places, things, or ideas.

Colloquialism - the use of informal words, phrases or even slang in a piece of

writing.

Emotionally-coloured words –words that evoke emotions, opposed to neutral

words

Epithet - a literary device that describes a place, a thing or a person in

such a way that it helps in making the characteristics of a person,

thing or place more prominent than they actually are.

Exaggeration – overstatement, showing that something is beyond the limits of

truth

Gradation - a minute change from one shade, tone, intonation, description to

another

Hyperbole - a figure of speech, which involves an exaggeration of ideas for

the sake of emphasis. an unreal exaggeration to emphasize the

real situation.

Idiom - a set expression or a phrase comprising two or more words,

which is not interpreted literally.

Irony - is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that

their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of

the words.

Lyrical digression - several sudden interruptions in the main action of the story,

which provides him background information, establish his

interest, describe character’s motivation and build suspense, etc.

Used to to create a temporary departure from the main subject of

the narrative to focus on apparently unrelated topics, explaining

191

background details. However, after this temporary shift, authors

return to the main topic at the end of the narrative.

Metaphor - a word or phrase that is used to make a hidden comparison

between two things. Does not use words like “as”, “like” etc.

Narration - a recital of events, especially in chronological order

Parallelism - the use of components in a sentence that are grammatically the

same; or similar in their construction, sound, meaning or meter.

Paradox - a statement that appears to be self-contradictory or silly but may

include a latent truth. It is also used to illustrate an opinion or

statement contrary to accepted traditional ideas.

Parenthesis - a qualifying or explanatory sentence, clause or word that writers

insert into a paragraph or passage. However, if they leave it out,

even then grammatical it does not affect the text that is correct

without it. Writers mark them off by round and square brackets

or by commas, dashes, little lines and brackets. As far as its

purpose is concerned, this verbal unit provides extra information,

interrupts syntactic flow of words, and allows the readers to pay

attention on explanation.

Polysyndeton - a stylistic device in which several coordinating conjunctions are

used in succession in order to achieve an artistic effect.

Simile - a literary device that makes a comparison between two things

using the words “like” or “as.” The objects of different

categories are compared.

Tone - an attitude of a writer toward a subject or an audience. Tone is

generally conveyed through the choice of words or the viewpoint

of a writer on a particular subject.

192

Sources

1. Jerome K. Jerome “Three men in a boat” (novel):

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/308

2. The list of literary terms: www.literarydevices.net

3. Merriam-Webster dictionary and Thesaurus: www.merriam-webster.com

4. Multitran Dictionary: www.multitran.ru

5. Wikipedia online encyclopedia : www.wikipedia.com

193

Учебное издание

Гильманова Альфия Анваровна

Никитина Светлана Евгеньевна

Першина Наталья Олеговна

READING ENGLISH CLASSICS

(J. K. JEROME “Three men in a boat”)

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